A Journey to Balochistan: From Banisadr to Pezeshkian

Author: Abdol Sattar Doshoki – Balochistan Studies Center, London

On Thursday, November 21, 2024, Massoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s ninth president, travelled to the centre of Balochistan, the city of Zahedan, for his first provincial trip. He described it as “the cradle of unity in Iran” and specifically chose Balochistan for his inaugural visit to fulfil his promise of “expanding justice,” as this province and its people have suffered the most from decades of injustice.

Previous presidents have also visited Zahedan and other parts of the province, making grand promises and symbolic gestures. However, in reality, these were merely “empty promises,” most of which were never fulfilled (except for state and security projects).

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited the province in 2011 for his first provincial trip, and during his subsequent visit, he received over fifty thousand letters, all of which went unanswered. Hassan Rouhani also visited the province during his first term as president, and Ebrahim Raisi visited during his second provincial trip.

I remember that the first president of Iran, Abolhassan Banisadr, came to my hometown, Chabahar, in early 1979. I saw him at the old Chabahar football stadium. As a Chabahar student, I spoke with him, and he promised that the intentional deprivation, which he referred to as the “Pahlavi era,” would soon be eliminated in Balochistan. More than 44 years have passed since that day, yet deprivation, poverty, discrimination, death, repression, systemic injustice, executions, massacres, insecurity, and armed conflicts have only worsened over the past four decades. The province remains the most deprived and oppressed in the country.

The experiences of the previous eight presidents have proven that Massoud Pezeshkian’s trip to Zahedan, as the “logistical agent of the regime,” and his meetings with Baloch scholars, notables, and local officials will not bring about any change. I am confident that, like his predecessors, he will resort to “empty promises,” offering the same unfulfilled commitments made by others under the pretence of promoting “expanding justice” and national unity.

However, Pezeshkian has another important mission from the regime: to “reconcile the Baloch people with the regime” by persuading them to abandon their rightful demands for the prosecution and punishment of those responsible for the Bloody Fridays of Zahedan and Khash and to settle for compensation instead. The regime is unwilling to hold its own agents accountable for spilling Baloch blood under any circumstances.

Finally, it is crucial to note that, more than in any other part of the country, the key decision-makers in the most security- and deprivation-stricken province are the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and intelligence agents, not the government or the governor.

This article was originally posted on Telegram by “Movement for Justice and Freedom Seekers” in Persian Linguae.