Pakistan is struggling to stay afloat on the corpses of Balochis and the citizens of the illegally occupied territories of Jammu-Kashmir (PoJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB).
After countless trials and tribulations that Pakistan (Army) has put them through for more than 75 years, these territories still have not been left alone in peace. The nation is sucking every last breath out of the people, quite literally.
The situation in Balochistan is so grim that the suicide rates are skyrocketing. The July 2022 floods forced 1.3 million out of their homes in the province alone. 64,000 houses were washed away and 185,000 are in dilapidated condition. Thousands of acres of cultivated land were destroyed and 500,000 livestock died.
While the Shahbaz Sharif-led government collects funds worldwide for this cause, local Baloch do not anticipate a single rupee coming their way. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is slowly pushing people into an abyss of absolute darkness.
Some compare the psychological damage of seven and a half decades of violence by the Pakistani Army in the region with the disastrous floods and have concluded that together the two have created a vortex of unending misery that will surely swallow Balochistan in 2023.
Social media is flooded with videos of government officials enjoying the gluttonous wedding season in Punjab when at the same time Balochistan does not have enough wheat to sustain even one-twentieth of its population. Balochistan’s Food Minister claims that Punjab Chief Minister sent them 10,000 bags of wheat instead of the originally promised 2 lakh units. Just to further flame the matter, Sindh and Punjab banned out-of-province sales of wheat. And 85 percent of the flour needs of Balochistan are fulfilled by these two provinces. Pakistan’s intention to starve Balochistan is clear from this.
They wouldn’t even let Balochistan buy wheat from somewhere else as in the last three months Balochistan has not received its share of PKR 11 billion from the National Finance Commission (NFC) for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure. The government does not even try to hide its blatant discrimination against its people!
As if starvation and homelessness weren’t enough, the security of Balochistan is at its negligent lowest.
Baloch activists are furious over Chinese aggression in their land. Pakistan Army believes it can take whatever resources they want, and subjugate and silence the Baloch struggle with an iron fist. Pakistan has teamed with China to ransack Baloch resources. Though CPEC is termed a “game-changer” it has been a disaster for Balochistan since its inception. People have lost all their sources of income. A humble fisherman cannot fish in Gwadar because the Chinese have it under their control under the guise of CPEC. How the people will earn their livelihood is not of any concern to the government.
According to data, the Metallurgical Construction Company (MCC), a Chinese company that mines gold, silver, and copper in Balochistan singlehandedly made a profit of USD 75 million in 2021. The region is the quickest way for China to print money. A percentage of the amount goes to the Pakistan establishment and Baloch are not given a single penny. Mined lands lay open for further deterioration of the area and the residents bear the environmental and safety hazards that come with it.
Mining has also polluted the outdated water supply channels leaving only 25 percent of water drinkable. Despite being aware of the situation, the Punjab government has never honored the 1991 water treaty on the distribution of water. While Punjabis have enough to refill their swimming pools daily, the Balochis are committing suicide over a glassful of it.
The increased Chinese footprint in the region and Pakistan’s lack of concern has brought not just Baloch activists and anti-regime radicals onto the streets, but teenagers as well. They are involved in coordinated terror attacks. In fact, the first female suicide bomber ever known was affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army. This is the gravity of the resistance movement because Pakistan for more than 70 years has treated the Baloch as second-class citizens.
Pakistani rich get richer from gas and mineral-rich Balochistan, while Balochis get poorer because they have no say over their own land!
In 2022 alone Pakistan Army forcibly disappeared 629, extrajudicially killed 195, and tortured 187 people. In January 2023, 92 people disappeared, 15 were murdered, and 1 was tortured by the Army. It has been two years since the mysterious death of international activist Karima Baloch in Canada, who wanted nothing but fair treatment of her people back in Balochistan. And no one can raise a finger in fear of death.
The leaders of a nation are supposed to protect its people from outsiders. But Pakistan is one of a kind that sells its territories to others just for an extra buck. As its inevitable collapse nears, it will suffocate Balochistan, Jammu & Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan just so Punjab survives another week. The humanitarian crisis in this failed nation is an international issue. The perpetrators will have to pay; Pakistan will have to do time.