Since the day Balochistan fell under the rule of foreign occupiers, the Baloch nation has been deprived of happiness. In the eyes of the occupier, The Baloch is worth less than cattle—because a cattle owner values the life of his livestock, protects it from disease and predators, while an occupier’s goal is the total annihilation of a subjugated nation. Just as livestock is kept tied up, oppressed nations are also bound, stripped of all freedoms. The Baloch, too, are deprived of their right to sovereignty and stand among the most oppressed and subjugated nations in the world.
In such dire circumstances, nations give birth to resistance leaders who stand firm against the occupier to save their nations from destruction. One such leader was the martyred Ghulam Mohammad Baloch. The Baloch have always resisted occupiers, and Baloch leaders have played their roles according to the demands of each era. In 1974, Waja Ghulam Mohammad Baloch joined the Baloch Students Organization (BSO), where he learned nationalist politics and the spirit of nationalism. With his unwavering dedication, long political journey, knowledge, and resilience, he was elected chairman of BSO in 1990. In 1992, he joined the Balochistan National Movement (BNM), which at the time had leadership committed to Balochistan’s autonomy and self-rule.
Since Pakistan is a brutal occupier that understands no language but force, BNM at that time also included armed struggle in its policies. The party was secretly preparing for war against Pakistan. However, in 1988, Fida Ahmed, who strongly opposed BNM’s participation in Pakistani parliamentary politics, was martyred. After his assassination, some BNM leaders deviated from resistance and made the party a part of Pakistan’s parliamentary system.
Waja Ghulam Mohammad Baloch did not accept this silent betrayal and remained committed to BNM’s fundamental principles. He took a step further by announcing a complete break from parliamentary politics and demanding outright independence for Balochistan. BNM became the first Baloch party to openly call for independence, removing the term ‘right to self-determination’ from its constitution in 2008 and replacing it with a clear demand for ‘freedom.’ Under Ghulam Mohammad Baloch’s leadership, BNM supported Baloch freedom fighters and encouraged resistance. However, he was unarmed. The enemy knew that if Ghulam Mohammad Baloch was not stopped, under his leadership, the Baloch would soon break the chains of Pakistan’s slavery.
For this reason, Ghulam Mohammad Baloch and Sher Mohammad were abducted and forcibly disappeared. Even after his release, he continued to lead the independence movement with the same determination—neither his beliefs nor his actions wavered. He was entangled in court cases in Quetta, Turbat, and Karachi.
On April 3, 2009, he appeared in court in Turbat along with Baloch Republican Party’s (BRP) vice president Sher Mohammad Baloch and BNM’s Lala Munir Baloch. The court dismissed the false allegations of the Pakistani military and acquitted all three. However, outside the courthouse, the Pakistani military abducted them from Waja Kachkol Advocate’s office and brutally murdered them in Murgaap. Their bodies were discovered on April 8 and laid to rest on April 9, 2009.
The Murgaap tragedy marked the beginning of Pakistan’s “kill and dump” policy in Balochistan, which continues to this day, targeting Baloch nationalists. Ghulam Mohammad Baloch and his comrades were martyred, but Murgaap still thirsts for freedom, and the struggle for Balochistan’s liberation continues with unwavering determination.
Baloch National Movement (BNM)
