Be Sincere to Balochistan
By Ali Sukhanver
Issues and problems could never be settled down unless we honestly and sincerely try to resolve them. Terrorism is also one of such problems in Pakistan. For the last many years this menace had been pinching the whole of Pakistani nation like a poisonous thorn; now under the command of Gen. Raheel Sharif, all of our security forces have joined hands together to curb this monstrous evil. The political government of Pakistan under the leadership of Miyan Nawaz Sharif is also supporting the action of the Pakistan Army. Things are getting better and soon Pakistan would become a terrorists-Free country. The issue of Balochistan is also being taken up with the same passion and determination. What is the actual issue of Balochistan; lawlessness, separatist elements, deprivation of the Baloch people, the negligence on the part of the past federal government or the indifference of the Baloch Sardars to the basic problems of the Baloch people? Various people might have various opinions in this regard but the actual analysis could be done only by the people of Balochistan.
The people of Balochistan complain that the federal government had never been serious in resolving their issues in the past. Every government gives importance to the Sardars and no doubt showers blessings upon them but these Sardars never share these blessings with the common people of Balochistan. There has ever been a serious lack of facilities regarding health, education and communication in Balochistan. The preciously beneficial Sui Gas is a source of providing energy to whole of the country but the people of Balochistan do not get any benefit of it. People are suffering from serious diseases because of scarcity of clear drinking water. Schools and colleges of standard education are few and far between and same is the case with roads and bridges. That is why the Baloch students have to proceed to Sind and Punjab for better education. No factories and no industrial projects are there to adjust the Baloch youth and to provide them job opportunities. In such a depressing situation rage and anger are very natural outcome. It could be true that the people of Balochistan are very much dissatisfied with the indifference and unresponsiveness on the part of the federal and provincial governments and of the Sardars. But it does not mean that they want to be detached from Pakistan or they are seeking for ‘independence’ from Pakistan. Taking advantage of this scenario, various foreign supported elements are trying their utmost to change Balochistan into a blazing inferno but they have yet not succeeded simply because every Baloch heart is filled with love for Pakistan. Love never lets you say Good-Bye.
The present government of Pakistan is very well aware of the feeling of deprivation of the people of Balochistan. In collaboration with the Pakistan Army the government of Pakistan has started so many new projects for the development of Balochistan. This time it has been decided that the government would not hand-over the funds to the Sardars in the name of development projects as it had always been a very common practice in the past that the benefit of such funds remained limited to the Sardars and its fruit could never trickle down to the common Baloch people. Keeping in view the discontentment and feeling of deprivation of the people of Balochistan, the present federal government of Pakistan has started many useful development projects in Balochistan. These programs include enhancement of Balochistan’s share in the NFC Award from 5.11 to 9.9 per cent, improvement of Gwadar’s infrastructure, setting up a 300 megawatt power corridor in Gwadar, installation of additional 220kv transmission lines in Dado-Khuzdar and DG Khan-Loralai sections and above all the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Moreover the infrastructure of the universities in Lasbela, Quetta, Loralai and Turbat is being upgraded and arrangements are being done for the provision of more scholarships for the students of Balochistan. All these projects will make Balochistan a hub of trading and a notable destination for regional and international investment. The benefit of all these projects shall directly go to the local people of Balochistan. Unfortunately some anti-Pakistan elements are trying to misguide the people of Balochistan by raising the question of ownership of all these projects. They are giving an impression that the benefit of all development projects in Balochistan would go only to those who do not belong to Balochistan. By spreading this impression these elements are simply trying to de-track the people of Balochistan. It is the responsibility of our media and the government officials to dispel this impression and tell the people of Balochistan that they are the owners of Balochistan and Balochistan is simply the heart of Pakistan.
