Balochistan Point Voice of Nation
By: Sharif NuhaaQ Baloch
After the long walk of endeavor and hullabaloo, PTI and Imran Khan got succeed, as the majority of seats in national assembly (NA) have won by PTI. PTI has made its government in federal and into other main provinces; Punjab and KPK, PTI has dealt with successive party in Baluchistan, Baluchistan Awami Party (BAP), too to make its coalition at provincial level and has made pact with BNP (Mengle) at National level. Despite this, ironically, Baluchistan is still the land of alienation, land of exploitation, the land of woes and the land of grinding- poverty, are still indifferent. Pity!
Akin, indifferent cover was applied and dramatically channelized by previous governmental party when PML (N) adopted same loquacious attitude towards Baloch people during its tenure. Although numerous promises and plans has forethought by all previous governments, Baluchistan government has always been treated as orphan since, the provincial autonomy was granted and introduced– just de facto.
Relentless to say that people of Baluchistan stand nowhere in Pakistan’s feudalistic political ground, acutely there is no vacuum for Baloch and Pashtun nationalists, as lack of actual mature and political floor for them. Pakistani state has dragged Baloch and Pashtun people in the corner of concession and misères always during every government, indicts there is no end of misères and woes of Baloch and Pashtun people in Baluchistan harrowingly.
Recently a well esteemed report divulged that the grudges of Baluchistan government is enhancing day by day, in national and provincial assemblies, owing to lack of collaboration and keen-focused by federal government. Toward Baluchistan and its people, Imran khan has being seen merciless and failed to keep the promise which he had made during his party’s advertisement.
Being the unique land enriched in many resources, Baluchistan has suffered and sacrificed drastically, in the form of numerous issues; water scarcity, drought-stricken, grinding poverty, high level illiteracy rate, and missing person. Rational human eyes get wet and heart get wrench as he or she is able to see the pain and grim that the people of the resources rich land have had suffered as being poor and compelled to live under the evil of grinding poverty.
According to UNDP poverty report Baluchistan ranks poorest province of Pakistan, in which 90% population lives under poverty line. According to the report, after Baluchistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ranks second on the provincial level with 49% of people identified as living in poor standards.
According to the geological survey of Pakistan, out of 50 minerals extracted nationally, 40 are obtained from Baluchistan. The province has more than 200 million metric tons of coal deposits, one billion metric tons of copper, 2.5 million metric tons marble, 300 million ounces of gold and 1.5 billion tons of granite. It has the largest area for livestock grazing, over 750 km of coastline that is rich with fishery and for decades it has supplied cheap natural gas to industrial areas of Pakistan.
This is however, one side of dramaturgically contemplated, second is more wretched and cruel, when we talk about water, its worsen issue in Baluchistan owing to lack of dams and reservoirs, Baluchistan has reached alarming stage of water crisis and people are compelled to drink dirty water from where animals drink in rural area as most of Baloch live in rural area. By virtue of this, many diseases are being spread in Baluchistan like cancer. Under such circumstances, I think people of Baluchistan should adopt the principle of helping themselves by themselves, with no expectations.
Where there is a shadow, there is also a light (Qadeel) and light would be only and exclusively the ‘Education’. Only way to uproot this curse is the provision of quality education through enhancing and allocating educational budgets separately compare than other departments. Baluchistan desperately needs education that produces socially responsible, thoughtful, and well-informed individuals equipped with a mindset that can make them aware and independent to deal their situations by themselves, also they will come to participate in political ground rationally and to take their rights from feudalists to invest on righteous places which had not been invested yet.
Actually our political institution is based on loquacious principles, prior to the election anyone can see politicians at every channel of talks with bulk of agendas and promises but after success, they are hiding behind same screens. Therefore Baluchistan government ought to demand educational, agricultural technologies and machineries from federal and China in the behalf of CPEC project, in the place of money or funds. Secondly Baluchistan needs sustainable cogent plans to cope with water crisis by constructing dams and make the possible cultivation of trees, which will make the situation amusingly better.
Although, the notion of prosperity is only a daydream for the people of Baluchistan, but still we have hope for the best as people here pray for betterment from PTI and government of Baluchistan. The day we start putting national interests first will be the day when Pakistan will start marching towards a healthier and more prosperous country without biasedness and regional prejudice.
Published in The Balochistan Point on March 2, 2019
