Two Baluchi activists. The man at left displays what he claims are marks of torture.
the country's most serious existential threat. Like the now-independent Bengalis, groups like the Pashtuns, Baluchis, Sindhis and Seraikis have all harboured sentiments of ethnic nationalism, based on their belief that Pakistan and its institutions are largely controlled by Punjab, the most populous province.
by now, it's well understood how a network of state-supported madrassas helped radicalize these displaced youths, providing a source of fighters for the jihad in Afghanistan
What's less discussed is that this Islamicization was also intended to weaken the internal threat of secular nationalist movements. "The state basically encouraged a wave of Afghan refugees to counter nationalism in Baluchistan,"
clipped from: www.nationalpost.com 