There are 10-12 million Baluch people spread across Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the surrounding region – an area known as “Baluchistan.” They likely migrated from the Caspian Sea region around the 6th/7th centuries and settled in this huge, mostly arid, region. Three main dialects are spoken: Western Baluchi, in Southeastern Iran and Southern Afghanistan; Southern Baluchi, spoken in the Arabian Peninsula and the southern part of Baluchistan province in Pakistan; and Eastern Baluchi, spoken in the Eastern part of Baluchistan province in Pakistan (it is so different that it almost constitutes a separate language).
Baluchi society is structured by tribes and clans, where the chief is the local authority. The Baluch live by an honor code of honesty and hospitality. Their nomadic past is changing. Many have settled into villages of mud or stone huts and work mostly as farmers, shepherds, or fishermen. Some young men move to cities in search of jobs. This geographic area is poorly developed, mostly because of its harsh physical conditions. Rain is scarce – but when it does fall, catastrophic flooding results.
The Baluch most likely originally practiced Zoroastrianism, an ancient, pre-Islamic religion, but eventually became Muslim. Almost all Baluch are Sunni Muslims, regardless of the country they find themselves in. Many are recruited into the radical Islamic and nationalist movements around them, causing even more suffering for the communities involved.