Jalal Uddin Kakar
The resource-rich province is today marked by a high rate of poverty, illiteracy, a pathetic health sector, terrorist attacks, unemployment, defilement, impoverished road infrastructure, and more worrisome, the deprivation of its own resources.
It is a gigantic task to encompass the whole wake-up call in words, but let us look at the matter at length through a wide horizon to cover every dimension. Pakistani bigwigs and tycoons know intimately about the resources inside the land of Balochistan but know quite little about the people on that land. One of the Harvard professors said that Quetta (Balochistan) is the most enlightened city in the world.As it is, it would not be exaggerating to say that Balochistan is rich in natural resources and possesses the potential to boost the GDP of the country. But in effect, 80 percent of its natives live below the poverty line. It is safe to say that Balochistan is Pakistan’s Area-wise largest province, but unequivocally, it is the least developed province with a low NFC award.It Is interesting to note that the state of the education and health sectors in Balochistan has been abysmal. As touted, poverty, a worsening law and order situation, financial and social barriers, combined with the lackadaisical attitude of concerned quarters, are major reasons contributing to the sorry state of education in Balochistan.
Earlier in November, Secretary Education Balochistan Ghullam Ali Baloch told Dawn.com that only 1.3 million out of a total of 3.6 million children were going to school in the province. Further, he pulled no punches about the fact that the department was not doing much for the development of the education sector; rather, it was just dealing with administrative issues.It would be quite authentic to highlight that recent data shows that the literacy rate in Balochistan is 44 percent. However, the finance minister proposed a paltry amount of Rs 65 billion for the health sector and Rs 77 billion for education, allocated for primary, higher, and secondary schools. Meanwhile, the various provinces are facing a financial crunch. So much so that in recent times, they (particularly the oldest one in the province called the University of Balochistan) could not pay the teachers’ salaries for three months. And the crisis is not over yet. However, there was no such mention in the budget to pull these varieties out of trouble.The passing of a bill to establish the ‘Pak-China Gwadar University’ in Lahore and the naming of Gwadar airport after Feroz Khan Noon is like rubbing salt in a deep wound.
As history bears witness to this cognizant fact, last year’s torrential rains and floods wreaked havoc in the entire province, giving a big blow to the shambling education and health sectors. For instance, in many places, schools and basic health centers were destroyed in the wake of the rains and floods.
Suffice to say that balochistan has been in the grip of terrorism and unrest. Since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, two fronts have been opened against the state, i.e., the TTP has stepped up its attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as the Pakhtun belt of Balochistan. It would not be an exaggeration to say that a number of terrorist attacks have been held in Balochistan this year. These includes, the recent militant attack in the Zhob city of Balochistan, where the Pakistani military lost nine soldiers, furthermore, Seven people were injured in two terrorist attacks, one of which was said to be a suicide bombing. Two separate blasts in Quetta claimed the lives of four people, including two police personnel, and injured 22 others, officials said. Both attacks targeted the police. The first blast occurred near a police vehicle parked next to Qandahari Bazaar on Shahrah-i-Iqbal. More saddled was that a senior officer of the Levies force and four others were injured in a bomb attack in the Mazai Adha area of Qila Abdullah, a district bordering Afghanistan On average, one security operation was conducted every second day. According to a report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) on Tuesday, Islamabad Capital Territory, Punjab, and Sindh experienced relatively fewer incidents of violence in comparison to K-P and Balochistan. 80% of all fatalities in the country happened in two provinces in Q2 of 2023.
Let us have a glance at unemployment. In Balochistan, unemployment has been an overlooked and ignored issue caused by a lack of economic opportunities. Despite being the least populated country, Balochistan’s issues, including the lack of job prospects for youth, have increased manifold. Meanwhile, it is an open secret now that jobs in Balochistan are scarce these days. It has deprived the youth of their due share and rights. Most of the candidates have been appointed through favoritism and nepotism. The masses in Balochistan believe that the budget schemes will solely benefit the ministers who come to the assembly for their vested interests.
It Is stunning that the unscrupulous government has not yet ensured a healthy and clear environment in the whole province. Just contemplate for a while how dirty the city would be, where you would not find a single dustbin for cleanliness.
At par, the infrastructure policy has always been seen on the back burner, with zero percent inclination towards road infrastructure. It suffices to strengthen the urgument by verbalizing that There is not a single well-paved and properly maintained road in the whole province. More worrisome is that you would not see a single road indicator in the capital of Balochistan( Quetta).
The more astonishing fact Is that every citizen of this rich-resources province is disenfranchised from the basic necessities of life even after having multibillion-dollar projects like the Saindak project, the Reko Diq project, the Gwadar port, and Sui Gas. The value of CPEC projects was $62 billion as of 2020. In 2022, Chinese investment in Pakistan rose to $65
billion. Similarly, the total value of the Reko Diq asset is close to $1 trillion. But even then, the involvement of the citizens was not considered in the decision by the federal government. The local citizens have always been deprived of their benefits.
The local population was not taken into confidence while launching such projects, nor have they been given an opportunity to be a part of these schemes. Such projects are illegally handed over to incompetent political workers and party members because of their political affiliation and loyalty without fulfilling legal requirements and necessary procedures.
These irregularities have left a question mark on such projects and serious reservations in the minds of the local population, lest these unanswered questions eventually lead to revolt and chaos.
The writer is a student at Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad