27 March: Pakistani Invasion and The Baloch Resistance

Shahzain Baloch

Balochistan is renowned for its strategic location, which enticed colonizers to assert authority over it. Hammal-e-Jehand resisted against Portuguese incursion into Balochistan. Similarly, Baleh Nosh Buledhi opposed Mongol attempts at domination. Alexander the Great faced opposition when attempting to conquer Balochistan and failed to establish control. In 1835, Henry Pottinger and Robert Sandeman arrived in Balochistan as merchants, and in 1839, the British army invaded Kalat. Mehrab Khan, the Khan of Kalat, led a small band of his men to resist the British, knowing victory was unlikely. On November 13, 1839, Mehrab Khan along with his men embraced martyrdom, but sending a clear message to the British that the Baloch would never accept foreign rule in their land.

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