Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest but most neglected province. The Baloch people face systematic oppression. Human rights abuses are common in the region. Baloch women are among the most vulnerable victims. They suffer from harassment, violence, and enforced disappearances. The Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies are responsible for these abuses.Despite international outcry, these atrocities continue with little accountability, leaving thousands of families in distress.
The Plight of Baloch Women
The people of Balochistan have resisted Pakistan’s military occupation for years. They also fight against resource exploitation. Their struggle faces brutal crackdowns. Women, once considered distant from direct conflict, are now being targeted as a form of collective punishment. Reports indicate that:
Harassment and Intimidation: Women face harassment at security checkpoints. Their homes are raided in the name of anti-terror operations. Their dignity is violated.
Enforced Disappearances: Many Baloch women have been abducted by security forces. Their whereabouts remain unknown. They are often taken to pressure their male family members. Their relatives are involved in political activism.
Forcing Women to Remove Their Veils:Islamic teachings require women to maintain modesty. They are expected to wear a veil like a hijab or chador. Reports say Pakistani soldiers forcibly remove Baloch women’s veils. This happens during home raids and at security checkpoints. It violates their personal dignity. It also disrespects their religious and cultural beliefs.
Sexual Violence and Torture: Human rights activists have raised concerns. They report cases of sexual violence against detained women. This abuse is used to create fear. It aims to silence dissent.
Violation of Religious and Cultural Norms
In Islam, the concept of hijab represents honor, dignity, and religious duty for women. The Pakistan Army forcibly removes the veils of Baloch women. This violates their human rights. It also goes against Islamic principles. Pakistan claims to be an Islamic state. This act shows its hypocrisy. The forced unveiling humiliates Baloch women. It reveals Pakistan’s double standards. The government enforces religious norms selectively. It ignores them to serve its oppressive agenda.
Terror Under Military Occupation
The Pakistan Army, along with intelligence agencies and paramilitary forces, has been accused of committing systematic war crimes in Balochistan. Women who speak up about their missing loved ones or participate in protests are often met with threats and harassment. Even journalists and human rights organizations have been silenced, preventing these stories from reaching mainstream media.
International Silence and Lack of Justice
Serious human rights violations happen in Balochistan. Global organizations have ignored the crisis. Western governments remain silent. They prioritize diplomatic ties with Pakistan. Justice for the oppressed is overlooked.The United Nations and human rights bodies have been urged to investigate these abuses, but little action has been taken.
Conclusion
The Pakistan Army harasses and harms Baloch women. This violates human rights and Islamic principles. The world must take immediate action. Forced unveiling, intimidation, and sexual violence occur. These are not just personal attacks. They target Balochistan’s cultural and religious identity.The world must stop turning a blind eye to Pakistan’s war crimes and hold it accountable for its actions. Justice delayed is justice denied, and the women of Balochistan deserve to live free from oppression, fear, and humiliation.
Pakistan’s Growth Fueled by Balochistan’s Resources, Yet the Province Remains Deprived
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least developed province, holds vast mineral and energy resources vital to the economy. With rich reserves of gas, coal, and minerals, along with a strategic coastline, it plays a key role in national progress. However, despite these contributions, Balochistan remains underprivileged and underdeveloped.
Balochistan’s Role in Pakistan’s Economic Growth
Balochistan is a treasure trove of natural resources, with significant deposits of copper, gold, chromite, and coal. The Reko Diq project is among the world’s largest copper and gold reserves. It holds potential worth billions of dollars. The Saindak copper-gold project is another example of how Balochistan fuels Pakistan’s industrial growth and foreign exchange earnings.
The Sui gas field, discovered in the 1950s, is a key natural gas source for Pakistan. It supplies energy to industries and households nationwide. The province also harbors large coal deposits, contributing to power generation and industrial usage. The Gwadar deep-sea port is a key part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It is expected to boost Pakistan’s trade and enhance global connectivity.
Balochistan’s Deprivation and Neglect
Despite being the backbone of Pakistan’s energy and mineral sector, Balochistan remains impoverished and deprived of basic necessities. The local population lacks access to clean drinking water, healthcare, quality education, and employment opportunities. Many villages in the province lack electricity. This is despite Balochistan supplying gas and coal to the rest of the country.
Unemployment remains alarmingly high, and the youth have minimal opportunities for development and empowerment. Projects like CPEC promise infrastructural advancements. However, local communities are often excluded from decision-making. They do not receive fair economic benefits.
Resource Exploitation Without Local Empowerment
A major grievance among Baloch citizens is that the wealth extracted from their lands does not benefit them directly. The revenue from gas, minerals, and other resources mainly goes to the federal and provincial governments. Little is reinvested in Balochistan’s development. This has fueled resentment and distrust towards the central government, leading to calls for greater autonomy and fairer resource distribution.
The Way Forward
To ensure that Balochistan benefits from its own resources, the government must implement policies that prioritize local development. Some key steps include:
Fair Revenue Distribution: A large share of Balochistan’s resource income should be reinvested. It must support infrastructure, education, and health services in the province.
Employment Opportunities: Local populations must be given priority in jobs related to mining, gas extraction, and industrial projects.
Infrastructure Development: Investments in roads, electricity, and water supply can help improve the quality of life for the people of Balochistan.
Inclusive Decision-Making: Local leaders and communities should be involved in discussions regarding resource management and utilization.
Balochistan holds the key to Pakistan’s economic prosperity, but sustainable development can only be achieved when its people receive their rightful share of benefits. Addressing these disparities will not only ensure fairness but also foster national unity and stability.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest yet least developed province, is home to vast mineral wealth and energy resources that significantly contribute to the nation’s economy. From its rich reserves of natural gas, coal, and minerals to its strategic coastline, Balochistan plays a pivotal role in the country’s economic progress. However, despite its immense contributions, the province remains one of the most underprivileged and underdeveloped regions of Pakistan.
Balochistan’s Role in Pakistan’s Economic Growth
Balochistan is a treasure trove of natural resources, with significant deposits of copper, gold, chromite, and coal. The Reko Diq project, for instance, is one of the world’s largest copper and gold reserves, holding potential worth billions of dollars. The Saindak copper-gold project is another example of how Balochistan fuels Pakistan’s industrial growth and foreign exchange earnings.
Discovered in the 1950s, the Sui gas field continues to be a key natural gas source for Pakistan, powering industries and households across the country. The province also harbors large coal deposits, contributing to power generation and industrial usage. The Gwadar deep-sea port, key to CPEC, is set to boost Pakistan’s trade and global connectivity.
Balochistan’s Deprivation and Neglect
Despite being the backbone of Pakistan’s energy and mineral sector, Balochistan remains impoverished and deprived of basic necessities. The local population lacks access to clean drinking water, healthcare, quality education, and employment opportunities. Many villages in Balochistan lack electricity, even though the province supplies gas and coal to the rest of the country.
Unemployment remains alarmingly high, and the youth have minimal opportunities for development and empowerment. Although projects like CPEC promise infrastructure growth, local communities are often excluded from decisions and fair economic benefits.
Resource Exploitation Without Local Empowerment
A major grievance among Baloch citizens is that the wealth extracted from their lands does not benefit them directly. The revenue from gas, minerals, and resources mainly goes to federal and provincial governments, leaving little for Balochistan’s development.This has fueled resentment and distrust towards the central government, leading to calls for greater autonomy and fairer resource distribution.
The Way Forward
To ensure that Balochistan benefits from its own resources, the government must implement policies that prioritize local development. Some key steps include:
Fair Revenue Distribution: A large share of Balochistan’s resource income should be reinvested in its infrastructure, education, and healthcare.
Employment Opportunities: Local populations must be given priority in jobs related to mining, gas extraction, and industrial projects.
Investing in roads, electricity, and water supply can enhance the quality of life in Balochistan.
Inclusive Decision-Making: Local leaders and communities should be involved in discussions regarding resource management and utilization.
Balochistan is crucial for Pakistan’s economic growth, but its development depends on the people receiving their fair share of benefits. Addressing these disparities will not only ensure fairness but also foster national unity and stability.
Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan, has long been a region marred by conflict, political unrest, and human rights abuses. One of the most grave and pervasive issues in the region is the phenomenon of enforced disappearances. The term refers to the forced abduction of individuals. This is often carried out by state agencies or their proxies. The goal is to silence dissent, suppress opposition, and control the local population.
In Balochistan, enforced disappearances violate human rights. They cause deep trauma for families and communities. These disappearances are part of a pattern of systemic abuse. Impunity and a desire for control drive this crisis.
Understanding Enforced Disappearances
Enforced disappearances occur when state forces or their allies detain individuals. The individuals’ whereabouts remain unknown for a long time. These cases often involve severe torture and psychological trauma. In many instances, bodies are later found with signs of violence.
In Balochistan, these disappearances often target activists, journalists, students, political leaders, and ordinary citizens. The victims are typically involved in advocacy for Baloch rights, self-determination, or resistance against the state’s policies toward the region. The families of the disappeared often face an agonizing search for justice, with little to no accountability for those responsible.
Balochistan’s Struggle: A History of Marginalization
Balochistan’s struggle for autonomy and recognition has deep historical roots. The Baloch people feel marginalized by Pakistan’s central government. They believe the government has exploited the region’s resources. At the same time, it has neglected Balochistan’s development. The region is strategically important due to its proximity to Iran and Afghanistan. It also holds vital natural resources, making it a key geopolitical area.
This marginalization has sparked movements and insurgencies. Many Baloch nationalist groups seek greater autonomy or independence. In response, the state uses military and paramilitary operations to suppress these groups. This has led to a cycle of violence, human rights violations, and enforced disappearances.
The Scope of Enforced Disappearances in Balochistan
The scale of enforced disappearances in Balochistan is staggering. AHuman rights organizations report thousands of forced disappearances in Balochistan. This includes groups like the HRCP and Amnesty International. These disappearances have occurred over the past two decades.
The victims are often young men, but women, children, and elderly individuals have also been targeted. Many forcibly disappeared individuals are linked to nationalist movements. Others are advocates for greater rights and freedoms for the Baloch people.
Families of the disappeared are left in a state of perpetual uncertainty. The Pakistani state has often denied responsibility, with military and intelligence agencies frequently involved in the abductions. Human rights groups, both domestic and international, have called for justice. However, there has been little accountability for the perpetrators. This has left many families in despair.
The Role of the State and its Agencies
The Pakistani state, especially its military and intelligence agencies, plays a key role in enforced disappearances in Balochistan. The state justifies these actions as necessary for national security. It claims that individuals involved in separatist movements threaten the nation’s integrity.
However, the use of extrajudicial methods like enforced disappearances goes beyond addressing security concerns. These acts aim to intimidate and silence political dissent. The goal is to suppress demands for greater Baloch autonomy or independence. The systematic use of such tactics is a clear violation of both national and international human rights laws.
There is also a culture of impunity, where perpetrators are rarely held accountable. There is mounting evidence, including testimonies from witnesses and survivors. Despite this, the state has failed to act against those responsible.
International Outcry and Human Rights Advocacy
The international community has raised alarms over the issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. Global human rights organizations condemn enforced disappearances. These include Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the United Nations Working Group. They urge the Pakistani government to address the crisis.
At the same time, Baloch advocacy groups have sought to bring international attention to their plight. Activists, especially in the diaspora, continue to highlight the issue, holding protests and raising awareness at various international forums.
The Pakistani government has largely ignored international pressure. It accuses foreign powers of interfering in its internal affairs. This refusal to engage in dialogue has alienated the Baloch people. It has also increased the sense of disenfranchisement and resentment in the province.
The Human Cost: Family Struggles and Trauma
The human cost of enforced disappearances in Balochistan is immeasurable. Families are left devastated, grappling with the uncertainty of whether their loved ones are dead or alive. The psychological toll is deep. Many are left in limbo, unsure of their relatives’ fate. They face hostility or indifference from the authorities.
Mothers, fathers, siblings, and spouses of the disappeared often form the core of advocacy movements, demanding justice and accountability. These families have faced harassment, threats, and violence, yet they persist in their search for truth.
The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) is a key organization in this struggle. It organizes rallies, sit-ins, and protests. These actions raise awareness about enforced disappearances.
The Path Forward: Accountability and Justice
The issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan won’t be resolved without addressing the root causes. This includes recognizing Baloch grievances and ensuring greater political inclusion. It also requires ending the use of violence and intimidation in governance.
For justice to be served, there must be a transparent investigation into the disappearances, with accountability for those responsible. The families of the disappeared deserve the truth. Those responsible for these human rights violations must be held accountable.
The international community must keep pressing the Pakistani government. It should urge the government to uphold human rights standards. It must also encourage dialogue with Baloch representatives. Until then, the struggle for justice in Balochistan will remain an ongoing fight for truth, dignity, and accountability.
Enforced disappearances in Balochistan are a political and social crisis. They reflect the deep struggles of people seeking autonomy and justice. The road ahead is long and challenging. However, the resilience of Baloch families gives hope. Human rights defenders persist, offering hope that the disappeared will not be forgotten.
Countries under CPEC are more affected by Chinese Coronavirus.
HOW CORONA VIRUS STARTED?? The world is trapped by the Virus!! Human life is in complete danger. Global emergency has not only impacted lives but embedded such a fear in everyone’s heart that we have completely isolated ourself. Isolation of humans will automatically stop each and everything.Let’s see what all has been impacted:-
Global Economy is completely down.
Development programs of all the countries have stopped.
Debt ridden Countries like Pakistan,Sri Lanka, Venezuela are again borrowing money.
Sports domain is in danger. Olymics,PCL are their examples.
Population of countries will decrease which will impact their growth.
Aged and Kids are suffering terribly.
Every coin has two sides. Is anyone thinking who will get benefitted from it??? Yes, there is someone who is having a long term plan and that is China!! Now let’s see how China will get benefitted:-
Aged Population of it’s own country will decrease which is a burden on them. Already they are not treating 50+ population.
Slowdown of global economy will not impact China as it already have 1 trillion dollars in buffer as per the official records.
Countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka will again beg money from them .
They are selling the medicines of COVID-19 at much higher price which will effect all countries including Developing countries .
Even after this virus gets eradicated, then also it will take time for all countries to become stable.
And finally China’s biggest enemy like USA and UK’ focus has also been diverted which will help China to come first in the race of “World No. 1 Country”. China targets it for 2030 and strategy of COVID-19 will definitely be acheievd within 10 years.
How CORONA VIRUS was invented? It was invented in Chinese labs. This virus is being developed after studying the genetic codes of Bats. Extracts of it is taken from SARS virus which is already studied. The vital point with this virus is that it is not getting detected within 15 days so it’s very easy to spread it, something that China wanted..Spread and See. Same strategy was followed in 1984 for Hepatitis vaccine where South African complete politician scenario was changed by France and USA. China played very well. In first stage it has spread it in its own country specially Wuhan(having highest percentage of aged population) where they created the false story of “wet market” from which they are claiming that it was spread. When Dr. Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital in December 2019 tried to inform the higher authorities,he was stopped because that was the stage when they wanted their people to travel and spread it. In Jan 2020, when there part 1 of strategy was done, major countries got impacted like Italy, UK. In Feb 2020, more than 150 countries got impacted, everything got drained from economy to the mental stability of the countries. Now in March 2020, zero case has been reported in Wuhan. China is getting stablized now but the world is shattered. Initially, through One Belt One Road Initiative, China tried to capture the road and sea and now through this epidemic it has stopped the progress of the world. This Virus has infected All!!! One Belt One Road One Virus!!! OBOROV
In a bid to create greater international awareness about near-extermination of the people of Balochistan, a campaign is being launched by activists under the banner of the Baloch Human Rights Council. A pavilion is also being set up outside the UN Office in Geneva, adjacent to iconic broken chair named “Save the Baloch”.
The council activists demand that the UN must launch an immediate and thorough investigation into the Pakistani government’s actions in Balochistan, and must hold Pakistan accountable for its egregious human rights abuses against the people of Balochistan.
“Save the Baloch” initiative marks an effort to amplify the voices of the people of Balochistan and usher in the restoration of their most basic human rights — social, cultural, political and economic autonomy.
Currently, the Baloch faces an unending saga of humiliation, destruction, and grief. Mass graves have been discovered across Balochistan; death squads kidnap social and political activists and human rights defenders, who are then murdered and thrown into these mass graves. Military oppression is the key tactic Pakistan has employed in order to sustain its unjust rule over the Baloch.
The people of Balochistan were never asked whether they wanted to be part of Pakistan. Also, they never gave their consent to have their territory annexed into the fundamentalist hotbed that is Pakistan. The Pakistani government has denied their right to self-determination.
Pakistan pushes the narrative that the people of Balochistan are happy— that they want to be part of Pakistan. This narrative is baseless and demeaning to the actual lived experiences of the Baloch.
Defending the rights of the people of Balochistan is not an option— it is an obligation. In the words of one of the protestors, “Freedom for Balochistan has been long-delayed, but it cannot and will not be denied.”
Because of these transgressions and the lack of UN counteraction, the UN has failed its own mandate to protect and fight for human rights across the globe. Silence from the UN on this matter is essentially an endorsement of this cultural extermination of genocidal proportions.
Speculation is rife over Chinese overtures in bilateral relations to achieve greater and lasting Chinese presence within the territories of relatively smaller nations in Asia and Africa. The underlying objective in most cases has been for China to establish a foothold in these countries to surreptitiously hegemonize the region and its people on multiple fronts, including, financial, strategic and political.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a case in point. Envisaged as an extensive network of road, rail and air transportation, besides public networks like the electrical grid, the CPEC will pave the way for cheaper and faster Chinese access to oil cargo shipped from the Middle East. As of 2019, the cost of CPEC projects is $62 billion, up from the original value of $46 billion back in 2014. The trouble is that many of these projects aren’t economically viable; they are built at inflated costs; and leave the host countries heavily indebted to Beijing. They aren’t ecnonomically viable because they serve the needs of Beijing’s central planners rather than the needs of the local markets. They are inflated because they are mostly built by Chinese state construction companies in partnership with local contractors rather than by private contractors under transparent bidding. And they leave host countries heavily indebted to Beijing, because they are finaced by China’s state-owned banks.
CPEC is a high stakes risk for China and Pakistan given very real concerns about financing and transparency among other things. After seeing OBOR in practice for the last few years, there are reasons to question the Chinese Communist Party’s largesse. For example, China offers substantial financing, usually as loans, but Beijing is not a member of the Paris Club and has never supported globally recognized transparent lending practices. And this lack of transparency also hides risk to borrowing countries that already face substantial fiscal challenges, particularly since Chinese state companies undertaking OBOR projects have a clear incentive to inflate costs and encourage corruption. Failure to repay those huge loans raises roadblocks to further development and leads to a surrender of strategic assets and it diminishes sovereignty. According to an estimate released by the Kiel Institute, Communist China is the world’s largest official creditor, lending over $5 trillion worldwide, but China does not publish or even report overall figures on its official lending. So neither rating agencies nor the Paris Club nor IMF are able to monitor those financial transactions.
For instance, during his term the former Maldivian President Yameen’s administration awarded construction contracts to Chinese companies without transparent bidding and at inflated prices. So, the Maldives Airports Company, Ltd. awarded a 400 million, no-bid contract to China’s Beijing Urban Construction Group to build a new runway after they’d abruptly canceled an existing contract with an Indian company which, by the way, later sued and won $270 million in arbitration. The result of this Chinese project and others is that the Maldives, a country of less than half a million people, now faces an enormous debt that constrains the next generation of Maldivians and half of this external debt is owed to Chinese lenders.
In Sri Lanka, even though multiple feasibility studies repeatedly rejected the commercial viability of a largescale port facility at Hambantota, Beijing went ahead and loaned the government over one billion dollars for the project. The result: Sri Lanka struggled to service those loans and eventually handed over a 99-year lease on the port to Beijing in return for debt relief.
We also see in Sri Lanka a number of Chinese-financed projects sitting vacant and unused, including a $104 million telecommunications tower and a $209 million international airport in the south with zero regularly-scheduled flights. Indeed, the Center for Global Development found in 2018 that eight OBOR recipient countries including Pakistan, Maldives, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, were at high risk of debt stress due to Chinese financing. In one instance because of the threat of drowning in unpayable debt, Burmese officials massively downscaled a deep-water port project in Rakhine State by over 80 percent — from $7.3 billion to $1.3 billion. Alarmed by problematic Chinese practices elsewhere, Burmese leaders reversed course from a prior administration’s decision.
Just as in the Maldives and Sri Lanka, after four years of CPEC, people in Pakistan are beginning to ask tough questions about what kind of deals their prior government struck with Communist China and what Pakistan really gains. Pakistan has a sovereign right to answer those questions for itself, but a few observations on cost, debt, transparency and jobs are in order.
On cost. According to Pakistani government statistics, for each megawatt generated by a completed CPEC thermal energy project, developers spent an estimated 1.5 million. In comparison, the cost per megawatt of building non-CPEC thermal plants is half of that, or 750 million.
Similarly, CPEC’s most expensive single project is upgrading the railway from Karachi to Peshawar. When the project was initially announced, the price was set at $8.2 billion. In October of 2018, Pakistan’s Railway Minister announced that they had negotiated the price down to $6.2 billion, a savings of $2 billion, and he explained, Pakistan’s inability to afford the huge burden of these loans. But recent media reports claim the price has now risen to $9 billion. So why doesn’t the Pakistan public know the price for CPEC’s most expensive project or how it’s being determined?
On debt. What are the long-term effects in Pakistan of Chinese financing practices? And what are the burdens that have fallen on the new government to manage, now with an estimated $15 billion in debt to the Chinese government and another $6.7 billion in Chinese commercial debt? It needs to be clear that CPEC is not about aid. This is almost always the form of loans or other forms of financing, often non-concessional, with sovereign guarantees, or guaranteed profits for Chinese state-owned enterprises that are repatriated to China.
Now together with non-CPEC Chinese debt payments, China’s going to take a growing toll on the Pakistan economy, especially when the bulk of payments start to come due in the next four to six years. Even if loan payments are deferred, they’re going to hang over Pakistan’s economic development potential, hamstringing Prime Minister Khan’s reform agenda.
On transparency, the lack of transparency can increase CPEC costs and foster corruption resulting in an even heavier debt burden for Pakistan.
For example, last year a Pakistani Senate Committee Report expressed astonishment at what they called the controlled bidding process for construction on the recently inaugurated Sukkur to Multan Motorway. According to the Committee, Beijing had allowed only three firms — all Chinese — to participate in that tender, while the entire project was financed by a Chinese loan with the risk entirely borne by the people of Pakistan.
The road project has unsurprisingly been the subject of corruption allegations against officials from the previous government including accusations of cost inflation and misappropriation of funds. Meanwhile the China State Construction Engineering Corporation which was awarded the contract claimed to be extremely shocked by what they characterized as groundless allegations of corruption, asserting that the company came to Pakistan in the spirit of win/win cooperation. But importantly, in 2009, just a few years before this Pakistani contract, that same Chinese state firm was banned for six years from World Bank projects for what the Bank called engaging in collusive practices, in other words, corruption in bidding. And this is just one example.
Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau has a number of CPEC-related investigations ongoing. The new Pakistani government prioritizes rooting out corruption, but the recently announced CPEC authority has immunity from corruption prosecutions. Again, those interested in Pakistan’s development are asking hard questions.
Lastly, on jobs. We hear the familiar Chinese catch phrase win/win cooperation and mutual benefit. But really, CPEC relies primarily on Chinese workers and supplies even amid rising unemployment in Pakistan. And for these projects, Chinese companies are importing materials and equipment from China rather than giving that business to Pakistani companies which would actually create jobs for locals.
CPEC is even bringing in Chinese workers who earn money in Pakistan, take the wages back to China, leaving very little in the local economy.
Now China’s statistics on how many thousands of Chinese workers are in Pakistan are so inconsistent and so unreliable that we don’t actually know how many are there. But this is all the more extraordinary because Pakistan has an abundance of young, eager and capable workers. According to the UNDP, 64 percent of the population is younger than 30 years old. They are Pakistan’s future and they’re hungry for opportunities.
While evaluating CPEC, one must bear in mind this contradiciton. Communist China’s own economic rise began with profound reforms that improved the business environment and attracted foreign companies from places like the U.S., Europe and Japan. And those U.S., European and Japanese firms trained local Chinese who in turn were able to build China into the industrial giant that it is today. CPEC doesn’t give Pakistani young people or Pakistani companies the same opportunities that the Chinese themselves enjoyed decades ago, and that’s one of the reasons why Pakistan’s trade relationship with the People’s Republic remains so lopsided. In 2018, Pakistan’s exports to China constituted $1.8 billion while Pakistan’s imports from China totaled $14.5 billion.
Chinese investment programs are designed, in part to be able to export excess labor, excess capital, excess production facilities. So China was trying to solve one of its own domestic problems and it solved its domestic problem sometimes at the expense of the receiving country.
One keeps circling back to transparency to normalize what China is doing and make them a good global citizen in the development space.
As one of China’s most extensive and expensive investments anywhere in the world, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor is being seen as China’s effort to influence Pakistan’s economy and society perpetually, altering the social and cultural fabric of an entire community permanently. Chinese infrastructure projects elsewhere provide sufficient evidence as to the extent of financial debts that nations incur due to the economic implications of such projects. Little does the world know that China has now embarked upon a concerted effort to penetrate the underlying social framework of communities in regions where it has business interests. One such glaring example is the CPEC, a disaster in the making.
An overview of the diverse aspects of the project lends an insight into the manner in which China is making inroads into Pakistan’s society, a people least suspecting a cultural invasion. As part of CPEC, thousands of acres of agricultural land will be leased out to Chinese enterprises in Pakistan to set up “demonstration projects” in areas ranging from seed varieties to irrigation technology. Pakistan will also become a market for agricultural produce from Western China and this will adversely impact local producers, as alleged by Pakistani civil society activists. Apart from provision of seeds, fertilisers, credit and pesticides, Chinese enterprises will also operate their own farms, processing facilities for fruits, vegetables and grain. Logistics companies will operate a large storage and transportation system for agrarian produce, as per the CPEC master plan. Experts on Chinese economy claim that Beijing’s goal through CPEC is to improve the agriculture sector of certain western provinces.
An overwhelming presence of Chinese enterprises shall be felt in all spheres. In some areas, the plan is to build on a market presence already established by Chinese enterprises — for instance, Haier in household appliances, China Mobile and Huawei in telecommunications, and China Metallurgical Group Corporation in mining and minerals.
One of the oldest priorities for the Chinese government since talks on CPEC began is fibre optic connectivity between China and Pakistan. An MoU for such a link was signed in July 2013 which may deeply impact security in the Asian sub-continent. “Moreover, China’s telecom services to Africa need to be transferred in Europe, so there’s a certain hidden danger of the overall security,” says the plan. Besides, building a system of monitoring and surveillance in cities from Peshawar to Karachi with 24-hour video recording on roads and busy marketplaces for law and order is also on the anvil. As per the master plan, a national fibre-optic backbone will be built for Pakistan not only for internet traffic, but also terrestrial distribution of broadcast TV, which will cooperate with Chinese media in the “dissemination of Chinese culture”. It remains to be seen how a conservative section of the Pakistani society reacts to the influence of Chinese culture.
The plan also envisages a terrestrial cable across the Khunjerab pass to Islamabad, and a submarine landing station of cable in Gwadar. Gwadar, as per the plan, “is positioned as the direct hinterland connecting Balochistan and Afghanistan”. The expanded bandwidth will enable terrestrial broadcast of digital HD television, called Digital Television Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcasting (DTMB). More than just a technological contribution, According to the master plan, “It is a cultural transmission carrier. The future cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani media will be beneficial to disseminating Chinese culture in Pakistan”.
“There is a plan to build a pilot safe city in Peshawar, which faces a fairly severe security situation in northwestern Pakistan,” the plan says, following which the initiative will be extended to major cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. This may see deployment of Chinese forces in Pakistan with a direct bearing on security in the region as a whole, giving China an upper hand in gathering intelligence and establishing military might.
Balochistan is a richest province with poverty stricken population. It is one of the elite resources province, but still facing a lot of problems and has undergone a variety of crisis. These issues could easily be solved but due to the lack of attention from our government, problems are rising day by day in place of decreasing.
Not only government, but media is also equally responsible for not sorting the issues of Balochistan. Media is not free in Pakistan to highlight the real issues. Like just check the webpages of some of the mainstream publishing newspaper like The Nation, Pakistan Observer, dawn, Daily Times. U will see the news articles of each & every province of Pakistan like Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi but u won’t see Quetta or Balochistan. If media would not highlight the issues then who will??
Webpage of The Nation does not cover BalochistanWebpage of Pakistan Observer does not cover Balochistan
It is astonishing that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is considered to be a game changer which is poised to boost development and helps the citizens of the province to live in prosperous lives, but still Balochistan is confronted by serious pros and cons such as electricity crisis , extreme water shortage, lack of hospitals, menace of joblessness, poverty, drugs culture, lack of educational development and so forth.
Government has failed miserably to take timely measures and eliminate the chronic issues which are rendering the life miserable for the citizens.
(1) Enforced Disappearances :- The main issue of Balochistan. We all know that VBMP is working for the recovery of Baloch Missing Persons but still we cannot see any postive outcomes. Many children & women sit for protest with Mama Qadeer Balaoch since decades but still 1000s of Baloch are missing and occupied by Pakistan Army.
(2)Unemployment:- Unemployment is defined that a person who does not have a work to earn his livelihood is called an unemployed person.Unemployment is a universal problem that everyone faces. In the province many educated people are jobless and wondering here and there to find jobs for them. Almost 14 per cent of our youths aged between 15-24 years are unemployed.
There are approximately 25,000 professions in a modern economy, while in Pakistan hardly a fraction of these professions have been tapped.
This is very dangerous that thousands of young girls and boys are holding their master’s degrees but are without jobs. There are numerous doctors, engineers, scientists, teachers who are having their degrees in their hands but unfortunately, they are out of job.
Unemployment has plenty of ominous effects upon the progress of the country, because unemployed people cannot take part in the development of the society or the country.
(3) Poverty in Balochistan:- Balochistan faces many serious problems, with poverty being the most significant one. This grave problem could be the biggest cause of violence and illiteracy in the province. Despite being the lowest populated province in the country, more than 52 percent of its population lives below the poverty line and nearly one-third of its population is unemployed. Even more alarming is the literacy rate, which is around 29 percent, while the female primary school enrollment is even lower at a mere 20 percent.
Balochistan still lacks an industrial base, and probably the single biggest cause of unemployment in the province. There are plenty of natural recourses in the province. Gas was discovered in Balochistan in 1952 but still many of its districts remain deprived from gas transmission facility.
(4) No Good Education System:- No doubt, Libraries are very beneficial source of spreading knowledge and awareness. They are very essential tool for students in studies and research in any filed. Libraries are very helpful in creating a splendid reading culture and promoting the value of knowledge and books. But most of the area in the province are deprived of public libraries. That is the government duty to establish libraries therefore people should gain knowledge without any educational dependability.
Many areas of Balochistan have been facing acute shortage of water but no remedial measures have been taken yet. In the holy month of Ramdan people were compelled to walked from miles for searching water.
According to the reports 62% of Balochistan is deprived of safe during water and more than 58% of it’s land is unculativable due to water scarcity. It makes us really woegone that always people of Balochistan are left to suffer. They are deprived of electricity, water, nutritious food, healthcare facilities, education and many more to name them, but water shortage is the main problem because of it no one can survive.While the government is trying to build a world-class port in Gwadar but it remains deprived of water and electricity. Ankara Kaur Dam was close to drying up because it’s catchment areas had not received rains water for many years. And it is a commonplace that most of families buy water from the supplying tankers, which directly collect water from springs or streams and sell it to the needy families without purification.
(5) Falsely Implicating Innocent Baloch :- The story of Missing Persons does not end with VBMP. Almost everyday ther is someone or the other abducted by Pakistan Army from Balochistan. Though it is strange but it is real. Recently in January approx 30 members went missing including Ghulam Jan, who just came to Pakistan for meeting his family and was abducted by Pakistan Army personnel.
(6) University of Balochistan Scandal :- We are all aware of harrassment scandal of Balochistan University. In spite of it being such a big issue, it didn’t get media coverage.
(7) Electricity Crisis :- Electricity crisis has become a jumbo problem for the residents of Balochistan people are facing many difficulties especially, the students who are unable to study due to the frequent power outages and small children are also not bearing this harsh weather season. The service department lacks sense of duty and they don’t deem about these children and students who are suffering from this problem.
(8) Water Shortage :- Many areas of Balochistan have been facing acute shortage of water but no remedial measures have been taken yet. In the holy month of Ramdan people were compelled to walked from miles for searching water.
According to the reports 62% of Balochistan is deprived of safe during water and more than 58% of it’s land is uncultivated due to water scarcity. It makes us really woe gone that always people of Balochistan are left to suffer. They are deprived of electricity, water, nutritious food, healthcare facilities, education and many more to name them, but water shortage is the main problem because of it no one can survive.While the government is trying to build a world-class port in Gwadar but it remains deprived of water and electricity. Ankara Kaur Dam was close to drying up because it’s catchment areas had not received rains water for many years. And it is a commonplace that most of families buy water from the supplying tankers, which directly collect water from springs or streams and sell it to the needy families without purification.