Balochistan has a long tradition of maintaining its identity, dignity and pride. The Baloch always take pride in two things: being Baloch in the true sense of the word and showing bravery against the enemy.
Even the lullabies of Balochistan convey these feelings:
“I sing to my dear son this lullaby so that he sleeps. I pray that my son becomes a young man, has good friends and wears all the six Balochi arms on his dress.”
Another lullaby that comes from the heart of a mother says:
“When there is a battle in the deserts, my son will be standing under the shade of swords.”
Yet in another lullaby, which is known as the ‘Lullaby of Mir Qambar, a mother says:
“O, my son, the light of my eyes, if you embrace death and become a martyr for national honour and prestige, I will not weep or cry but would come to your grave with pomp and show, and will sing the song of celebration and happiness, and for each son who is killed for the honour of my land, I will produce another son.”
Another lullaby addresses Sibi as follows:
“O Sibi! you are hidden in the dust of horse riders. You have lost many priceless lives of those seven hundred handsome and youthful men who used to wear their turbans with grace and would ride horses without reins. There is no one left today. All of them have been swallowed by the enemy’s swords.”
In fact, Balochi literature is full of references against the foreign invaders, that is, the Portuguese, the Mongols, the Arghuns, and the British. They are condemned for attacking the freedom and honour of the Baloch people. The British were particularly a target of this criticism. To quote a poet, Yusuf Nami Baloch, “if God grants me an opportunity, I would show you how a battle for freedom is fought.”