Laraib Nisar
Youth is the biggest asset of Pakistan, said PM Imran Khan in the beginning of the current year. He expressed his views that a society can develop only if the youth of the country are given opportunities in lifting the nation. Though the successive governments made promises of launching large scale programs for the empowerment of youth but they were never met and still the youth’s problems stand unaddressed in some parts of the country. One of the biggest examples of such a situation is the condition of Pakistan’s biggest province by area i.e. Balochistan. The problems faced by the Baloch youth have been so long-drawn and largely neglected that it has led to the inculcation of separatist sentiments in the Baloch people particularly, the youth.
The separatist sentiments and the organizations working for the cause are largely condemned by all and sundry across the country, but no one is willing to hear the problems which are the root-cause of such movements. Since, the Baloch problems never received the attention they deserved, the Baloch youth came up with its own organizations to achieve their larger goal of either freedom or to have a platform for the youth to voice its concerns. One of the most important body working for this cause is the Baloch Student Organization (BSO). BSO is a centralized student’s body and has zones all across Balochistan. All BSO zones define themselves as being socialist and strictly secular in orientation but have their own distinct political and organizational affiliations. BSO (Pajjar), BSO (Mengal) and sometimes even BSO (Azad) have been known to join forces on a number of issues being faced by the Baloch and generally guide the youth and students on academic issues through public politics. Though BSO (Pajjar) and BSO (Mengal) associated themselves with the parliamentary framework of Pakistan, BSO (Azad) largely worked for the freedom of Balochistan and hence it was rendered a terrorist organization by the government of Pakistan and was banned in 2013 in the wake of insurgency.
Since the time when BSO (Azad) was banned with an allegation of acting as the home ground to terrorists, the situation of human rights in the province is constantly worsening. The ban brought with it a series of enforced disappearance of people, especially youth allegedly associated with BSO (Azad). The enforced disappearances instigated a feeling of fear in the general Baloch population. People, mainly the youth feels unsafe while voicing their genuine concerns. The Article 19 of the constitution of Pakistan is openly being violated in the region. Most of the youth has harsh feelings about CPEC and they view it as a project for the development of Pakistan but they are certain that its economic benefits will not be spent for the well- being of the people of Balochistan. They are of the view that, if only 20 percent of the CPEC revenue spent on Punjab had been used for the development of infrastructure or education sector of Balochistan, the overall scenario would have been very different. The constant negligence of the state towards Balochistan has led to the creation of an inferiority complex among the Baloch youth. Despite being extremely talented, the youth of the region is not given its due representation in sports and other activities at the national level. There is not a single Baloch player in our Pakistani teams whether it is hockey, cricket, or football. Moreover, the already fragile education system of the province has been hit hard by the pandemic. In the wake of COVID-19 when the mode of education was changed to online, Turbat, being a major district of Balochistan with a medical college, and two universities, was observed to lack the internet facility. In the remote areas, the situation was even worse, and some students even had to drop their semesters. Though the current government has announced excellent schemes for the youth including the Kamyab Jawan Program and the Ehsas scholarship program but the implementation of these programs in the remote areas is meager. Another problem is the quality of education which doesn’t match even the national level, with minimum encouragement and opportunities for research work. The common Baloch people are of the view that whether the Baloch go to war or go to the parliament, they are not acceptable for Pakistan.
The youth of Balochistan has a huge potential, which if handled properly, can be used for the development and prosperity of the country. Addressing their problems is one of the very crucial tasks for the government, and it is high time for it to be prioritized. The government needs to take the Baloch youth onboard along with the local political leadership. The communication gap between Islamabad and Quetta should be eliminated and the government should hear the Baloch people out. Their grievances and concerns should be addressed efficiently.
The government should make all possible efforts to reform the education sector by focusing not only on the formal education, but also on skill-based and vocational education. The Baloch youth should be provided equal opportunities as that of other provinces. The issuance of scholarships and incentives should be guaranteed on ground. The youth from other provinces can play an important role in educating and helping their fellow Baloch youth by organizing study circles, seminars and conferences in the Balochistan province on voluntary basis. Such youth exchanges can be helpful in thawing the cold relationship between the youth from different provinces. Workshops and training sessions should be conducted in the colleges and universities of Balochistan to educate the youth regarding the latest trends in the research and technology sector. The youth should be provided with the latest gadgets along with a stable internet connection to ensure their education even in times of a global pandemic.
With the completion of CPEC, the infrastructure is expected to develop largely. The government should hold awareness campaigns for the locals, to make them understand the significance of the project and the potential benefits that the project might bring for the people. Locals should be trained and educated about the concept of blue economy and its prospects in Gwadar.
The Baloch youth should be encouraged to start small businesses and entrepreneurship should be incentivized along the special economic zones associated with CPEC. The locals should be given a sense of ownership of the project to inculcate feelings of reliance in them. The government should know the significance and the potential that a stable and developed Balochistan holds for Pakistan.
In this regard, the government can learn few lessons from the national youth policies of different countries across the world. Pakistan’s long term strategic partner China adopted a 10 year youth development program in 2017 which focused primarily on narrowing the educational gap across the country and pumping more capital and resources in the less developed western areas. Pakistan can also imitate the model and spend more on the less developed south-western province. Similarly, youth engagement and exchange programs can be arranged with different countries and Baloch youth should be encouraged to participate in such programs.
Recently with the Deputy Speaker National Assembly Qasim Khan Soori’s announcement of government’s paying a special attention to the development of Balochistan and the announcement of a special development package for Balochistan by the PM in the near future, hopes are high that the province will see new heights of development and the genuine concerns of the Baloch youth will finally be addressed.
The author Laraib Nisar is a Defense and Strategic Studies’ graduate, working as a research intern at CRSS.
