By Asif Mahmood

Baluchistan’s wounds will not be healed by violence. No insurgency, no armed campaign, has ever brought dignity, rights, or prosperity to its people. What the province needs is dialogue, reconciliation, and meaningful political engagement with the state. This is the lesson echoed today by Gulzar Imam Shambay, a former insurgent leader who turned his back on militancy and urged others to abandon it as well. His message is not merely personal; it is a wake-up call for all who truly care about Baluchistan’s future.

For decades, insurgent groups have thrived on a carefully constructed narrative: that the state cannot deliver justice, that prosperity is a mirage, and that the only path to dignity is rebellion. This rhetoric has been the oxygen of militancy. It has drawn young men into training camps, provided cover for external sponsors, and given violence the illusion of moral legitimacy.

But the reality on the ground tells a very different story. Every round of violence has left behind charred schools, ruined roads, and broken families. Every bomb and bullet has only deepened the shadows of poverty and displacement. Far from delivering empowerment, militancy has stripped Baluchistan of opportunity and denied its people the peace necessary for development.

That is why Shambay’s rejection of armed struggle carries such weight. He speaks from within, not from afar, and his testimony is clear: rebellion has failed. Only politics, dialogue, and democratic struggle can turn grievances into solutions. Those who continue to peddle the romance of insurgency are not liberators of Baluchistan, but profiteers of its suffering.

To end this cycle, Pakistan must focus not only on intercepting weapons and funding but also on dismantling the real supply chain of insurgency: belief. As long as young people are persuaded that picking up arms is an act of nobility, recruitment will persist. Breaking that chain requires two simultaneous efforts.

First, governance and politics must lead from the front. Military operations can create space for stability, but they cannot substitute political ownership. Elected representatives need to step into that space, listen to local grievances, and translate promises into visible change—schools that function, hospitals that treat, jobs that sustain. Baluchistan cannot remain a land of commitments on paper; it must become a province of fulfilled rights.

Second, the narrative of rebellion must be countered with a stronger vision of belonging. Civil society, community elders, scholars, and political leaders should work together to demonstrate that rights can be claimed through democratic and constitutional channels. Young people must be shown that dignity lies not in burning bridges but in building them—through parliaments, courts, and development.

Former fighters who renounce violence are invaluable to this process. Their stories pierce through propaganda more effectively than any official statement. When they say that insurgency delivered only grief, their words resonate. Pakistan should therefore design credible rehabilitation programs, offering a dignified path back to society and a role in rebuilding the province they once helped tear apart.

At the same time, governance must be participatory and transparent. Development cannot be an extractive process managed from afar. It must be rooted in provincial institutions and shaped by local communities. Only when people feel ownership over their future will they refuse the false promises of those who thrive on chaos.

External meddling must also be confronted. Foreign powers backing insurgency are not allies of Baluch rights. They exploit Baluchistan’s wounds to weaken Pakistan. Genuine friends of the province will seek solutions within the federation, not outside it.

The crossroads is clear. Either Baluchistan is allowed to remain hostage to violence, or the state invests the political will and resources to transform it into a province of inclusion and opportunity. The harder path is also the only honorable one, for it secures peace for future generations and dignity for those who have already borne the cost of conflict.

To stand with Baluchistan is to heed Shambay’s call. Violence has only multiplied sorrows. Dialogue holds the only promise of healing. The moment to choose that path is not tomorrow, it is today.