Baloch Martyrs' Day

Culture of origin: Baloch · Historical

Holiday sources: Baloch

On 13 November 1839 a British and Indian force under Major General Sir Thomas Willshire, sent on its way back from Kabul to punish Mehrab Khan, the Khan of Kalat, took the town. Mehrab Khan was killed, and the British put Shah Nawaz Khan in his place; the British lost 31 killed and 107 wounded. The Baloch National Movement (BNM) says he had refused to let the British use Baloch land against neighbouring Afghanistan, and it marks the day every year as Baloch Martyrs' Day, for all who lost their lives fighting for the national rights, dignity and freedom of Balochistan. In 2025 it was kept with gatherings in Awaran and other districts of Balochistan, a seminar in the Netherlands and the BNM's central event in Berlin.