Balochistan conflict resurfaces as South Indian links draw fresh attention
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid the Indo - Pak conflict and escalating tensions along the border, Islamabad finds itself grappling on another front, with its perennial Balochistan headache. The Balochistan Liberation Army, an internal uprising in the southwest, remains a worry for Pakistan, often putting military pressure on its western defence. In such a backdrop, what if Balochistan carries a slice of south India, within it?
The current tension along the border has brought to focus the South Indian links with Balochistan, split across Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Despite being one of the largest Pak provinces, this region remains relatively underdeveloped and least populated. 'Brahui', a Dravidian language written in a Perso-Arabic script, is reportedly being spoken by close to 2 mn people in this Pakistani province. That Brahui shares similarities with Dravidian languages and points to historical ties between the two regions.
There are many theories about this unusual historical link between two regions, situated about 2000 km apart. However, it's well established that the two regions share some undeniable bonds through linguistic and historical links, in addition to possible migration and settlement. Going by reports, there are records indicating that Hindu rulers from South India, like the Sewa dynasty, ruled some parts of Balochistan, until the seventh century.
Dravidian linguist Ravishankar S Nair pointed out that there are two theories frequently being discussed. 'Going by the first, South Indians are people who have migrated from this region, while another says Baloch people are those who migrated from South India. The first one has more credibility, as per studies,' he said, adding that the time period could be about 2000 years ago.
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