Intentionally or not, a narrative of a sense of deprivation is built among the Baloch youth of state negligence towards Balochistan for the last seven and half decades. Its impacts are observed in the present day Balochistan where the province shows a ‘no-progress’ picture in all its sectors. It is proud of its natural resources, but almost nothing from those resources is spent on the province. The presence of multimillion projects like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Saindak, Reko Diq and so forth could not change the fate of the province either. Or at least, what Balochistan is gaining from the above-mentioned projects is never publicized by officials.
And then the question arises of where Balochistan is standing within Pakistan’s federation. A region chopped down into pieces, with a part of it under Iranian government, another part in Afghanistan, some portions in Sindh, Khayber Pakhtunkwaa and Punjab, questions the state of its stance towards ‘marginalised’ Balochistan.
Not too long, several Baloch families, alleging state institutions werre behind arresting and disappearing their loved ones, staged a 51-day protest sit-in outside Governor’s House Quetta in the capital city’s red zone. As they expected, no mainstream media in Pakistan covered it. In fact, no one in other parts of the country was even aware of such a massive protest sit-in– that too at such an important location.
Here, one remembers a viral media interview of another province, not knowing any city name of Balochistan other than Quetta (because it is provincial capital) and Gwadar (owing to CPEC)– still unaware of Sui’s existence despite using the regionally-discovered Sui gas. With Sui gas, let me add a point here that out of 34 districts of Balochistan, only four districts avail the natural Sui gas, excluding Dera Bugti itself (where Sui town falls in). That is how Pakistan’s relationship is with the present Balochistan.
Things are very ‘rough’ between the federation and Balochistan. The provincial government is nominal which has no role in redressing the state and province relationship, while the federal governments have always used delaying tactics for Balochistan. In these given circumstances, the Baloch have come to a certain point where they are asking the state to clarify its stance towards Balochistan after feeling inferior within the system.
Coming to education, in contrast to the universally accepted human right to education ensured in Pakistan’s 1973 constitution in its Article 25-A, Balochistan is labelled the ‘home for out-of-school children’ with approximately 71 percent of out-of-school children. This claim was made by Alif Ailaan in 2017, and seconded by UNICEF in 2020. Things are worse these days, but not better.
As we are already discussing educational backwardness, let us not forget the recent burning of a private school in Kech’s Buleda town – yes, MPA. Zahoor Ahmed Buledi’s town – where at around 3 am, ‘unknown men’ come and burnt the Kalkashan School, a private school giving quality education in the area. In the morning, no one knew, amidst tight security of Levies and other forces, where those persons came from and went. This looks pathetic.
Education is still a far cry, as the people of Balochistan complain of insecurity within their soil. A new wave of enforced disappearances has taken place in the province which includes abductions of students in particular, others in general. Along with their enforced disappearances, their families claim their loved ones are killed in ‘fake encounters’ by a recently-established force of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD).
The recent arrest-cum-disappearance of Saud Baloch and his cousin Kamran Baloch, two intermediate students of pre-medical, from Windar (Balochistan) is the clear proof how Baloch youth are straightforward victimized by enforced disappearances. The last social media post of Saud Baloch before going ‘missing’ read: “Those companions, which accompany you, are the books.”
In a very recent protest arranged by Baloch Yakjehthi Committee (BYC) on October 20 at Quetta, families were recorded saying their beloved ones were arrested by the CTD in front of their eyes at their homes and later claimed that they were “killed in a clash or operation between forces and the Baloch separatist organisations.”. The families rejected the CTD’s allegations and said they were ready for any court trial as eye-witnesses. Unfortunately, courts too seem to worry not about their vociferations.
In fact, for the last several years, Baloch missing persons’ cases are pending in the Balochistan High Court and the Supreme Court, but other than waits and hopes, the families have received nothing. Even, various inquiry commissions, at the provincial and federal levels, have been formed, but they merely ‘irritated’ the families with what they call ‘baseless’ questions other than relating to their missing persons.
Things are very ‘rough’ between the federation and Balochistan. The provincial government is nominal which has no role in redressing the state and province relationship, while the federal governments have always used delaying tactics for Balochistan. In these given circumstances, the Baloch have come to a certain point where they are asking the state to clarify its stance towards Balochistan after feeling inferior within the system.
They, too, are fed up with everyday public versus police war on Balochistan’s roads. If fundamental rights are for them as well, render them without any condition: if not, take them back publicly without keeping them in ‘false hopes’. However, things are still at a point of settlement for which state institutions need to play a motherly role.
