Quetta, August 13: Balochistan on Tuesday marked its 78th Independence Day, an annual act of defiance against what Baloch human rights groups call Pakistan’s illegal occupation of the region — just a day before Pakistan celebrates its own Independence Day on August 14.
The Baloch nationalist movement traces its roots back to 1947, when the princely state of Kalat briefly declared independence following the partition of British India. That independence ended abruptly in 1948, when Pakistan forcibly annexed the territory, a move rejected ever since by Baloch political leaders, activists, and sections of the population.
Mir Yar Baloch, a prominent human rights activist, accused the Pakistani military of maintaining an unlawful presence in the province, describing it as driven by “greed, repression, and the hunger to erase Baloch identity.” He also branded Pakistan as “the global godfather of terrorism,” alleging it trains militants, harbours war criminals, and uses its nuclear capabilities as political blackmail.
In the lead-up to the celebrations, Pakistani authorities imposed Section 144 banning gatherings and protests for 15 days across Balochistan. Local groups say the measure is aimed at silencing the 60 million-strong Baloch population, who reject Islamabad’s restrictions.
The timing of Balochistan’s independence observance, falling just before Pakistan’s own national holiday, underlines the deep political rift. While Pakistan commemorates August 14, 1947, as the birth of a sovereign state, many in Balochistan see the same period as the beginning of their loss of independence.
Why Pakistan Celebrates Independence on August 14, and India on August 15
India is not the only country to mark its independence from British rule in August. While India commemorates the event on August 15, Pakistan — born out of the 1947 Partition — celebrates on August 14.
This difference is rooted in both history and circumstance. Early in 1947, Britain’s Labour government appointed Lord Louis Mountbatten as the last Viceroy of India to oversee the transfer of power. The original plan was to complete the process no later than June 1948, but escalating communal violence forced Mountbatten to advance the date to August 1947.
The British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act on July 4, 1947, setting August 15, 1947, as the end of British rule and the creation of two new nations — India and Pakistan. However, exact borders were not disclosed until August 17 to avoid unrest. Mountbatten later admitted that he chose August 15 partly because it was the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II.
Pakistan’s founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, initially referred to August 15 as Independence Day. But by 1948, Pakistan shifted the date to August 14 for two main reasons. First, the formal transfer of power in Karachi occurred on August 14, 1947, with Mountbatten officiating there before flying to Delhi for India’s midnight independence ceremony. Second, August 14 in 1947 coincided with the 27th day of Ramadan, a sacred date in the Islamic calendar, adding religious significance.
Since then, Pakistan has celebrated August 14 as its national day, while India observes August 15 — a divergence that becomes politically charged in places like Balochistan, where the week of independence commemorations is marked by starkly different narratives of history.