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Baloch–Kurdish relations

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Baloch–Kurdish relations covers the historical relations between Kurds and Baloch people, two Iranian peoples.[1]

History

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Balochis were described as being the group which has the closest historic links to Kurds, genealogically and linguistically. Kurds and Balochis, both being Iranic, originated from Andronovo in Central Asia, before migrating westwards together. They settled around Aleppo, and the Baloch migrated to the Caspian region in the 4th century, before settling in Balochistan in the 7th century.[2] Aleppo had a significant Kurdish population, although ethnic cleansing during the Syrian civil war had affected it.[3] Balochis did not write about their origin until the 20th, before which they largely passed it down thru oral tradition.[4] Since the migration to Balochistan, the Balochi language became influenced by Persian, Urdu, Pashto, and Dravidian languages.[5] However, there is still similarities, and the two Western Iranian languages, despite being separated for so long, are still the closest languages to each other.[6][7][8] Balochis and Kurds, prior to their migration to Mesopotamia, also lived in the Alborz mountains. The word "borz", meaning "high", was found only in Balochi and Kurdish. Both Kurds and Balochis claim descent from the Medes.[9] Aside from the claims whether Baloch are descendants of Kurds, or whether Kurds are descendants of Baloch, they both belonged to the same tribes and were one group before the migrations.[10] There are Kurds with Balochi-language surnames and tribe names, and there is Balochis with Kurdish-language surnames and tribe names as well. Modern DNA samples of Balochis and Kurds confirmed a relation.[9]

In modern history, Balochis and Kurds, both stateless and divided across different countries, were always fond of each other. Baloch secularism was significant in the Baloch national movement.[11][12][13] The Kurdish movement was also noted for being fairly secular.[14] Baloch and Kurds, along with Pashtuns, were isolated to an extent from the Islamic world as the separatist movements in Balochistan, Kurdistan, and Pakhtunkhwa aimed at gaining independence from predominantly Muslim states.[15] Baloch nationalists claimed that they were isolated from the world and that Kurds were the only ones who supported them.[16]

In Iranian Khorasan, the Khorasani Baloch and Khorasani Kurds live in close proximities, and both were largely deported there by various Iranian dynasties.[17][18] Baloch and Kurds also formed minority populations in both Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.[19] In Soviet Turkmenistan, the Kurds and Baloch both had their own newspapers and textbooks, and both of their languages were written in the Latin script.[20][21] However, after the independence of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov heavily restricted the cultural rights of minorities and promoted the Turkmen culture.[22]

In the 1960s, amid unrest in Kurdistan and an insurgency in Balochistan, there was an agreement signed between Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey, known as the Regional Cooperation for Development in 1964. It had its rationale in the mutual desire to quell the Baloch and Kurdish insurgencies.[23]

Women played a big role in both the Kurdish and Balochi movements.[24] Following a wave of Balochi women-led protests against the Pakistani government, a group of Kurdish women sent a message titled "from Rojava to all the women and people of Balochistan" in which they said "until the end, we stand with you and we will not let go of each other".[25] Baloch groups showed overwhelming support for the 2017 Kurdish referendum.[26] Kurds who fled Saddam Hussein and went to Pakistan were often mistreated by Pakistani authorities, like the Baloch.[27] In Iran, where Kurds and Balochis both reside, there is a very notable solidarity between them.[28] They have accompanied each other in protests, chanting "Kurds and Balochis are brothers, all thirsty for the blood of the leader."[29] They both make a large number of prisoners in Iran.[30] The Islamic Republic commonly alleges that Israel and the United States are active in both the Balochi and Kurdish movements.[31][32] Turkey, while arresting Kurdish activists, has also arrested Baloch activists and handed them to Pakistan and Iran.[33][34] Allah Nazar Baloch of the BLF supported Kurds.[35] There were also reports of cooperation between BLA and Syria-based PKK militants, and plans to form a Kurdish-Baloch front in Afghanistan to attack Turkish and Pakistani interests, and to fund separatists in Kurdistan and Balochistan.[36]

Mahal Baloch, a BLA female suicide bomber during the August 2024 Balochistan attacks, had adopted her alias "Zilan Kurd" after Zeynep Kınacı.[37][38] On September 3, 2024, armed Kurdish pro-PKK militants entered Şişli Plaza, burning, ransacking, and destroying Turkish government properties. They claimed that the attack was provoked by the repression of Abdullah Öcalan, and dedicated the attack to Mahal Baloch, and Rizwan Baloch, who was another BLA suicide bomber.[39][38][40][41]

References

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  1. ^ احمدزهی‌بلوچ, نصیرخان (2014). پیوند نژادی کرد و بلوچ در تاریخ بلوچ و بلوچستان. Našr-i Iḥsān. p. 1. ISBN 9786003490581.
  2. ^ Balochs of Pakistan: On the Margins of History. p. 9.
  3. ^ The Syrian Kurds: A People Discovered. p. 2.
  4. ^ "Historical Relationship Between Kurd and Baloch". The Baloch News. 2017-09-29. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  5. ^ Balochs of Pakistan: On the Margins of History. p. 10.
  6. ^ "The Baloch people in Iran's grip". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2018-10-13. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  7. ^ "Kurds in Pakistan". Balochistan Voices. 2023-09-29. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  8. ^ "Iranian languages - Persian, Kurdish, Balochi | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  9. ^ a b "Historical Relationship Between Kurd and Baloch". The Baloch News. 2017-09-29. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  10. ^ Ahmed, Manzoor. The History of Baloch and Balochistan: A Critical Appraisal. p. 42.
  11. ^ The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor of the Belt and Road Initiative: Concept, Context and Assessment, Siegfried O. Wolf, 2019, pp. 98
  12. ^ The Redefined Dimensions of Baloch Nationalist Movement, Malik Siraj Akbar, 2011, pp. 139
  13. ^ China’s Belt and Road Initiative in a Global Context, Volume II: The China Pakistan Economic Corridor and Its Implications for Business · Volume 2, 2019, pp. 160
  14. ^ "Seasoned Skeptics Why Syrian Kurds Have Resisted Political Islam | The Washington Institute". www.washingtoninstitute.org. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  15. ^ What Is Moderate Islam?, Richard L. Benkin, 2017, pp. 152
  16. ^ What Is Moderate Islam?, 2017, pp. 182
  17. ^ Madih, ‘Abbas-‘ Ali (2007), "The Kurds of Khorasan", Iran and the Caucasus, 11 (1): 11–31, doi:10.1163/157338407X224879
  18. ^ Schiffman, Harold F. (2012). Language Policy and Language Conflict in Afghanistan and Its Neighbors. BRILL. p. 326. ISBN 9789004201453.
  19. ^ The Handbook of Cross-Border Ethnic and Religious Affinities, Charity Butcher, 2019, pp. 307
  20. ^ "Жизнь курдской общины в Туркменистане [The life of the Kurdish community in Turkmenistan]". Gündogar (in Russian). Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  21. ^ Kokaislová & Kokaisl, Pavla & Petr (2019). "The Ethnic Identity of Turkmenistan's Baloch". Asian Ethnology. 78 (1): 181–196. JSTOR 26704760.
  22. ^ "Жизнь курдской общины в Туркменистане [The life of the Kurdish community in Turkmenistan]". Gündogar (in Russian). Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  23. ^ Essays on Baloch National Struggle in Pakistan: Emergence, Dimensions, Repercurssions [sic], Jānmahmad, 1989, pp. 67
  24. ^ Saya, Bapak (2024-02-29). "Kurdish women's movement: we stand with Balochi women to fight fascism". Medya News. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  25. ^ "Women in Rojava express solidarity with the women and people of Balochistan". ANF News. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  26. ^ "No force can stop will of Kurdish people: Baloch organizations". Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  27. ^ "Pakistani forces raided on Kurdish refugees". Kurdsat. 4 December 2012. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October2014.
  28. ^ Broomfield, Matt (2024-02-19). "Balochistan Finds Its Voice". Truthdig. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  29. ^ "Security Forces Killing In Kurdish, Baloch Cities But Dancing In Tehran". Iran International. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  30. ^ Azeez, Hawzhin (2023-06-05). "A Rise in Executions of Kurds and Baloch by Iran". The Kurdish Center for Studies. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  31. ^ The Baloch Insurgency: Linking Iran to Pakistan, page 4, Rehman
  32. ^ "Israeli Kurdophilia and the American 'Betrayal' of the Syrian Kurds". www.international.ucla.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  33. ^ Kumar, Rahul (2022-11-22). "Was Baloch rebel leader Gulzar Imam trapped in Turkey and handed over to Pak ISI?". Indianarrative. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  34. ^ "بازداشت عبدالله بزرگ‌زاده فعال بلوچ توسط سازمان میت ترکیه". ANF News (in Persian). Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  35. ^ "Balochistan leader Dr Allah Nazar condemns Turkey, supports Kurds". News Intervention. 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  36. ^ "BLA trying to use Kurdish terrorists in the region". IRIA News. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  37. ^ "ماہل بلوچ اور آپریشن ھیروف: بلوچستان میں ایف سی کیمپ پر خودکش حملہ کرنے والی 23 سالہ طالبہ شدت پسند تنظیم کا حصہ کیسے بنیں؟". BBC News اردو (in Urdu). 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  38. ^ a b "استبول حملہ: کردوں نے اپنا حملہ بلوچ فدائین ماہل و رضوان سے منسوب کردیا". The Balochistan Post. 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  39. ^ "HBDH Tekin Goyi Milisleri'nden İstanbul'da eylem". ANF News (in Turkish). Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  40. ^ "HBDH Tekin Goyi Milisleri'nden İstanbul Şişli'de sabotaj eylemi". Umut Gazetesi (in Turkish). 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  41. ^ "PKK-Affiliated Group Claims Responsibility for Istanbul Attack, Dedicates It to Baloch "Fidayeen"". The Balochistan Post. 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
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