Baloch Leader Hyrbyair Marri Calls for Baloch-Afghan Unity Against “Punjabi Aggression”
LONDON: Hyrbyair Marri, an exiled prominent Baloch leader and president of the Free Balochistan Movement (FBM), issued a strong statement on social media condemning recent attacks on Kabul and reiterating the historical alliance between the Baloch and Afghan peoples.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Marri criticised the “unprovoked attack” on Kabul and the contested Durand Line, the colonial-era boundary drawn by the British that separates Pakistan from Afghanistan, stating that such provocations serve only to benefit Pakistan, “a puppet of the British Empire.”
“Throughout the centuries, the Afghans have stood by the Baloch during their difficult times… And the Baloch have always done the same,” Marri wrote, highlighting a deep-rooted history of solidarity between the two nations.
He pointed to Baloch support during Afghanistan’s struggle against Persian occupation and in various campaigns across the subcontinent, saying that mutual respect and cooperation have long defined Baloch-Afghan relations.
Marri went on to criticise Pakistan’s use of the Afghanistan transit trade route, which passes entirely through Balochistan, as a political tool. “Whenever disputes occur, Pakistan uses the transit trade route as leverage and denies the Afghans access,” he said, arguing that an independent Balochistan would pursue a more responsible and peaceful policy.
“Independent Balochistan will make agreements not to exploit the transit trade route, and instead resolve our disagreements through peaceful dialogue,” he pledged.
Calling attention to what he termed “Punjabi aggression”, a reference to Pakistan’s dominant military and political establishment, Marri reaffirmed his movement’s solidarity with Afghanistan, concluding, “For centuries, the Baloch and Afghan nations have stood by and supported each other, and still nothing has changed: we stand by the Afghans.”
Hyrbyair Marri is the son of Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, a key figure in Baloch national history and regarded as the architect of the modern Baloch independence movement. Based in exile in the UK, Hyrbyair Marri leads the Free Balochistan Movement, which seeks international recognition for United Balochistan’s independence Pakistan and Iran.
The Durand Line, established in 1893, remains a contentious issue between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Successive Afghan governments have refused to recognise it as a legitimate international border, a stance echoed in Marri’s statement.
