Beneath Balochistan’s rugged landscapes lie treasures—natural gas, copper, gold, coal, marine wealth, and a coastline pivotal to regional strategy. Yet, this bounty masks profound neglect, as recent attacks brutally remind, according to an incisive report.
Pakistan’s most sparsely populated province endures as its human development laggard, despite fueling the country’s economic engine for years.
Reliable power, potable water, solid schooling, and healthcare basics elude swathes of the population.
Deepening the despair: unemployment ravaging the educated young, opportunity deserts, decision-making blackouts, and a national belonging void.
Years of exploitation and counter-insurgency have yielded no landmark developments, stoking the fires.
Alamdar Hussain Malik’s piece in Tarkeen-e-Watan frames the violence starkly: far from standalone blasts or knee-jerk threats, they embody a chronic political standoff spanning decades.
Revolts have marked Pakistan’s history with Balochistan, anchored in unkept autonomy vows and constitutional slights.
Armed factions increasingly position strikes as bids for political leverage, fiscal fairness, and overhaul—heralding a politicized insurgency.
Violence against innocents and authority demands universal repudiation. Still, security-only lenses blind us to the political abyss.
Government after government has doubled down on force: more troops, tighter grips after each outrage.
Breaking the cycle requires confronting Balochistan politically—through dialogue, rights restoration, and development that delivers for locals, not just extracts.