Absorbed in the current-ness of affairs, we often forget that the names on trending topics are real people in a real place. Once legendary, then forgotten and now suddenly uproared, Balochistan is making headlines again. Sure its past and present have been layered in conflict, but when we start using names of countries so passively, we look over the life and beauty which it still contains.
Before Balochistan was in Pakistan,
Or in the middle of political crossfire,
It was land of the proud, strong and valiant Balochi people.
It cradled farming villages 3,000 years before Indus Valley Civilization.
Before the violence of Shia and Sunni burned villages,
Balochistan was run by tribal laws.
Balochis lived in isolated mountain villages but their culture, tradition and wisdom was rich as any progressive community.
And when religion did enter the vast lands, it first bowed down to the laws of nature.
Nature has bestowed Balochistan with such beauty that it almost seems unfair.
From a naturally formed Sphinx to the Princess of Hope,
From peaks of Sulaiman Mountains to the shores of Arabian Sea,
From massive gold reserves to Pakistan's source of natural gas.
Balochistan is also home to some ancient Hindu temples which are still run by Hindu priests.
Because Balochistan has been breathing long before any lines were drawn on lands and hearts.
So maybe, when you see or hear Balochistan on news next time,
You might run these images in your mind instead. Reminding that the country making headlines is more than just a hot-topic, its the pulse of civilization as we know it. A land of people as old as time itself.
