Islamabad, Pakistan – For 15 years, a small truck driver named Qadir Aslam has been transporting groceries across Pakistan. Most of his trips have been to Balochistan, about 400 kilometers west of his village, near the city of Borowala in Punjab province.
Over the course of two years, Aslam, 32, scraped together enough money to buy his own truck, a Hyundai Shahzor, which transported fruits, vegetables and other produce to cities in Balochistan, a mineral-rich province of Pakistan that has also been home to a violent separatist movement for decades.
On Sunday night, Aslam was on the road to the province when armed fighters from the Baloch Liberation Army, one of the two main separatist groups, stopped their way and killed them.
Fenty and two other men, all believed to be of Punjabi origin, were also snatched from their cars in the night and shot to death on the roads.
Within 24 hours, with less than 70 dead. six attacks Across Balochistan, including 35 civilians, 14 security personnel and 21 BLA fighters.
Aslam's friend and neighbour, Mohammad Tanweer, told Al Jazeera that he had recently paid the last bit of his way and was keen to improve his family's living conditions.
He was focused on earning enough to support his wife, two children and his lost country. “He had been travelling to Balochistan for years and never felt any danger,” said Tanveer, who runs a mercenary shop in Burewala.
He said Aslam was the only person in his village who sought economic opportunities in Balochistan. “There is work all over Pakistan, but Balochistan offers more work,” he said.
Migration despite two dangers of violence
After Balochistan became part of Pakistan when the country gained independence in 1947, the southwestern province bordering Afghanistan became a hotbed of separatism.
Balochistan, with a population of about 15 million, is rich in natural resources, including oil, coal, gold, copper and gas. But Pakistan is also poorer, and residents say the government in Islamabad is exploring the province for its minerals but never passing on the benefits to its people.
raiva food Separatist feelings Balochistan has seen at least five insurgencies since 1947. The latest insurgency began in 2000 to demand more resources from the province and call for Pakistan's independence.
The military operation launched by the government to suppress the movement resulted in Two human rights violations against Baloch dissidents, including disappearances, torture and extrajudicial executions. Thousands of lives have been lost in the decades-long insurgency.
Most importantly, the government’s response is to protect Chinese interests. A decade ago, China announced the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor infrastructure project as part of its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. Balochistan Gwadar Deep Sea Port It was the crowning joy of the project.
Chinese investment has created jobs and other economic opportunities in the region, leading to the migration of workers from other parts of Pakistan. Baloch separatists have resisted this migration and are often treated like Chinese professionals and civil servants responsible for enforcing the law and Pakistani citizenship.
Most of the nearly 30 civilian deaths in Sunday's attacks and the second exhibition were in southern Punjab, a region bordering Balochistan where the majority of the population belongs to the Seraiki ethnic group.
Senior journalist Shahzada Zulfiqar, who has done extensive research on Balochistan, told Al Jazeera that economic opportunities are attracting people from Punjab and other parts of Pakistan to the province. Many Baloch traders have also set up shop here in Irā vizinho.
“Despite the decline, people still come here to work, whether they are merchants, construction workers or barbers,” said Zulfiqar.
One of those workers, Mohammad Habib, a barber from a village near the city of Rahim Yar Khan in southern Punjab, has moved to the Balochistan capital Quetta for a year. His business is on Prince Road, which is lined with barber shops, most of them run by Punjabis.
“Despite the risks, I chose to work in Balochistan because the salaries are better here,” Habib said, adding that he earns an average of Rs 1,200 ($4.31) a day in Quetta, compared to about Rs 400 ($1.44) a day in the country.
Like Habib, many from Punjab cities like Lahore and Gujranwala are moving to Balochistan in search of better economic opportunities. “Our country has seen two previous attacks on Punjabi and Baloch workers and they tried to stop us, but we need to win for the sake of our families,” Habib said.
Zulfiqar said that many Baloch are about to move to other parts of Pakistan – a process of opening up to other communities that is about to change social attitudes in the Baloch.
“They are sending their children to study in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Family dynamics are changing and there is a growing awareness and desire for upward social mobility,” he said.
But many others in Balochistan still feel deep resentment over the alleged exploration of their region and two of its resources, analysts say.
Major projects in Balochistan, especially the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the mines, are all labor-intensive, said Imtiaz Baloch, a researcher at Khorasan Diaries, a non-partisan platform run by day laborers.
“These projects attract workers who come here in search of income for their families. However, these projects are also the main projects of the two Baloch separatist groups, who see you as thieves of your resources without or without your consent, leading to attacks.”
Two-time Baloch activist Sami Din Baloch, whose country has been missing for 15 years, admits that this week's bloodshed has created an atmosphere of uncertainty in the province, especially for those who believe in peaceful protests against the federal government.
He also fears a harsh reaction from the government, saying previous operations would lead to abuse of power.
“After every major attack, the state would kill people in custody on false charges, claiming they were terrorists. This approach would only improve the situation, pushing the Baloch region further into deprivation,” he told Al Jazeera.
Additional reporting by Saadullah Akhtar in Quetta, Balochistan
