Sajjad Ahmad Khan
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest but least populous province, and is rich in natural resources, including gas, minerals, gold, copper, coastline, etc. However, locals lament that the central government or other provinces receive the benefits of these resources while they have no control over them. Baloch nationalists consider themselves excluded from central politics and feel downbeat. Balochistan’s political unrest has a number of root factors, including decades of poverty, mistrust, and governmental policies.
At various times, military operations and insurgencies have been carried out in Balochistan, resulting in increasing casualties, arrests, and complaints of enforced disappearances. As a response to political, economic, and cultural oppression, Balochistan has seen five major uprisings to date. The first occurred in 1948 when the Khan of Kalat refused to accede; the second, led by Nawab Nowruz Khan, in 1958; the third, in 1962, by the Mari tribe; the fourth, in 1973, when the Bhutto government expelled the provincial government; and the fifth, which has been going on since 2000, intensifying after the assassination of Nawab Akbar Bugti. This situation was creating fear, resentment and distrust among the people.
The Baloch people are adamantly against the central government’s needless meddling in provincial issues and seek greater autonomy to preserve their cultural, linguistic, and ethnic identity
Most areas of Balochistan are still deprived of basic amenities such as water, education, health and employment. Local people believe that their problems are being deliberately ignored. Dozens of families have been protesting for years for the return of their loved ones, but the justice process is slow or absent altogether.
The basic question is why Balochistan is suffering from poverty despite being rich in natural resources? The answer lies in several political, economic and administrative factors. Most of the revenue generated from gas, oil, gold, copper and other mineral resources found in Balochistan goes to the federal government. The local population complains that they are not able to benefit from their own resources because companies and manpower are brought in from outside for projects. Further, investors, tourists and development agencies are hesitant to work in Balochistan. Investors and tourists feel unsafe due to incidents of unrest, terrorism and kidnapping in many areas of Balochistan. These conditions can also prove jeopardizing for development agencies. The political situation in the province is often uncertain, raising questions about the sustainability and continuity of projects. Investors want long-term stability, which is often not available there.
In some areas, local groups or tribes view foreign investment or development with suspicion. Sometimes they resist, believing it goes against their interests. Until these issues are resolved, the pace of investment tourism, and development work in Balochistan will remain slow, even though the province is rich in resources, beauty, and opportunities. I am deeply saddened to say that the local people of Balochistan are deprived of employment, training, or basic facilities due to major projects like Gwadar Port, Reko Diq, and CPEC. Actually, There is no effective system in place to involve local people in these projects. The projects started in their areas, but the opinions of the local population were not included in the decision-making. As a result, they feel isolated. Sometimes employment, training, and benefits are limited to outsiders, companies, or influential people. Local people are neither trained nor placed in senior positions. Due to the lack of education and technical training institutions in many areas, local youth are not considered capable of working in these projects. This is a major obstacle that can be overcome, if the government is serious and looking towards a prosperous Balochistan. For years, the people of Balochistan have felt deprived and ignored. When they are not consulted, they see these projects as “against them.” This sense of deprivation turns into anger and resistance over time. All these factors together are causing injustice and injustice to the people of Balochistan. Until the local people are given the right to their resources, participation in development, and opportunities for a better life, there will be no peace, no sustainable development. Corruption is a major obstacle in Balochistan that stands in the way of development. If funds are used properly, projects are completed in a transparent manner, and public participation is ensured, Balochistan can also prosper like other provinces of Pakistan. There is no effective system in place to combat corruption in Balochistan. There is no action on audit reports, no action against corrupt individuals. This means that those who do wrong have no fear. When the people are constantly deprived, they feel left behind and neglected by other provinces. This sense of deprivation breeds separatist thinking and distrust.
It is a bitter reality and extremely worrying that the government does not seem to be making effective, serious and sustained efforts to include the youth of Balochistan in the national mainstream. The result of this indifference is that an entire generation is being engulfed in deprivation, uncertainty and despair. Let us comment on this issue impartially. Baloch youth see that their region is rich in natural resources, but they themselves suffer from poverty, unemployment, and underdevelopment. The opportunities for education, employment, and development that are available to youth in other provinces have become a dream for them. This creates a deep sense of deprivation, which over time turns into despair. When young people feel alone, neglected, and without purpose, they easily fall prey to elements that spread anti-state narratives. These organizations feed them false dreams, and set them on a path from which it is difficult to return. Until Baloch youth are made partners in the country’s future, their voices are not heard, and their legitimate issues are not addressed, they will continue to drift away from the state and closer to extremist narratives.
