By: Jaffar Khan Kakar
Concerns of Baluchistan such as fair share in mega projects like natural gas, saindak projects, and CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) are very genuine and old. However, successive federal governments could not address the grievances of the people of Baluchistan.
Provincial government follows suit of the federal government when masses protest and create restlessness in the province. Not a single issue get resolved in Baluchistan without protests. Chaos has become order of the day. It causes political instability and anarchy in the region.
A few years back red zone along with some other important locations in Quetta used to be the hub of demonstrations from civil society. Now, the rallies and processions have engulfed the peripheral areas too.
Recently, tens of thousands of women and men of all age groups have staged a massive show against the unavailability of the basic necessities on the call of Jamat-e-Islami’s local leader Mulana Hadayat u Rehman_ he is an ordinary fisherman by profession.
It is not the charismatic personality of Mulana bit decades long-unresolved and neglected problems of the province which made the people come out on the streets.
Previously, Gwadar was in highlights for CPEC and its scenic cricket grounds. Now, the voices are echoing against injustices with the residents. These voices attracted national and international media and questioned the standard of development in the province.
Six protests arose in the last months. Some of them were called off after negotiation but some are still going on. The most recent sit-in of Gwadar ended after successful negotiations with government officials. Young Doctors Association has been in protest for the last two months against inadequate facilities for doctor fraternity.
Medical students also held a protest in front of Quetta Press Clun against the Pakistan Medical Commission’s special exam. Students of three medical colleges are victims of new policies.
It is the residents of the province who are facing crises and turmoil because of traffic jams on account of protests. Baluchistan government instead of taking any rational initiative to fix the problem, has banned rallies, processions, and sit-ins by imposing section-144 at highways and roads.
The peripheries of Baluchistan have witnessed a massive uprising in the past two years. Hayat Baloch’s incident, brutal killing of Malik Naz Baloch, and Kareema Baloch’s suspicious death have added fuel to the fire.
To cut the long story short, there has been a clear transformation in the local and political landscape of Baluchistan in the past few years. A single event can ignite an unending fire that may engulf the entire province if the crises are not resolved rationally.
The writer is a freelancer Quetta-based journalist, he focuses on Baluchistan affairs, Pashtun nationalism, and conflict in Afghanistan. He tweets @jaffar-gourno.
