Ethnicity, Territory and Federalism: The Wali Khan–Samad Khan Rift and the Politics of Balochistan, 1957–1970

Abstract

In Pakistan, the One Unit scheme was opposed by the National Awami Party (NAP) that brought together a wide range of regional and progressive political forces united by their opposition to centralized rule in the country. Abdul Wali Khan and Abdus Samad Khan Achakzai were two of the most prominent Pashtun leaders who held a political partnership despite being active in different localities. However, their cooperation was put to a test upon the abolishment of One Unit in 1970 when Balochistan re-emerged as a province, but with the Pashtun-majority areas of Balochistan having not been resolved. The present article explores the reasons behind the split between Wali Khan and Samad Khan and also places it in the context of ethnicity, territoriality and federalism in Pakistan. It relies heavily on the author's personal recollections, newspapers from the time, archival sources, political biographies, and secondary sources, and contends that this division is not a personal rivalry or ideological divide. Instead, it was a result of the clash of visions of Pashtun territorial representation and the NAP's efforts to reconcile Pashtun political demands with its balancing act with Baloch nationalist leadership. The case illustrates how resistance to centralization might bring together regional nationalist movements, but fail to resolve competing demands for boundaries, ethnic quotas, and regional organization.