The Taliban has reportedly rounded up seven Baloch people from Nimruz province in south-west Afghanistan in a series of raids. Baloch leader Malik Khan Muhammad Marri too has been detained and shifted to an undisclosed location.

The Balochistan Post newspaper says that Baloch refugees have been targeted in Afghanistan in similar attacks earlier also but such incidents have increased since the Taliban took power in August. 

In a similar incident, the Taliban had attacked Baloch refugees in Kandahar recently and took over their houses, vehicles and other possessions. As the Taliban inflicts attacks on the Baloch people, the impoverished community is now being targeted by the governments in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Disgrace of one Baloch is Disgrace of whole #Baloch nation. We demand immediate release of 8 Baloch refugees arrested in Nimroz on false allegation of #ISKP . Kindly #Taliban refrain from becoming a party in Baloch-Pakistan conflict.#SaveBalochRefugeesInAfghanistan pic.twitter.com/gcRxPphZ5T

— Naela Quadri Baloch (@NaelaQuadri) October 8, 2021

The Baloch people are spread between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. In Pakistan, they have been running a seven-decade-long movement to gain independence from Islamabad.

Due to the conflict in Pakistan, tens of thousands of families have fled into neighbouring Afghanistan and have been living as refugees for years.

Geopolitical analyst Mark Kinra told India Narrative: "The Baloch have been living in Afghanistan under two capacities–Afghan Baloch who are natural citizens of Afghanistan since its independence and Baloch refugees who fled Pakistani attacks and settled in Afghanistan. During the Taliban rule of 1990’s, many Baloch refugees were killed by the Taliban. At that time Pakistani spy agency–ISI used to pay Taliban for hunting Baloch freedom fighters".

Kinra says that the current detentions, arrests and attacks on Baloch refugees in Nimroz and Kandahar is happening as the Taliban wants to send signals to Pakistan for possible favours looking at the poor political and economic situation of the country under Taliban rule.

He adds that since the 1990’s, the Baloch freedom movement had no support from the Afghan government and the Taliban had pushed the Baloch refugees back into Pakistan.

Kinra says that several Baloch freedom fighters had taken shelter in Afghanistan previously–the most notable example being Aslam Baloch.

In a separate news item, The Balochistan Post quotes the general secretary of the Baloch National Movement (BNM) Dr Murad Jamali as saying that the arrest of Baloch refugees in Afghanistan at the hands of Taliban forces is “alarming.” He said that such attacks are a violation of Pashtun traditions.

Jamali blamed Pakistan for the attacks against Baloch refugees in Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan has become a “gangster” state as it has the blood of not only the Baloch but also the Bengali, Pashtun and Afghan nationals on its hands.

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