If a person is dying from blood loss, Balochistan’s government will give him a Panadol and send him off. The recent closure of wine stores in Gwadar district is an example of the aforementioned analogy. Thousands of people from Gwadar, Turbat, Pishkan, Zamran, Buleda, Ormara and Pasni have been staging a protest for the past several days in order to pressurize the government into giving them the rights they deserve. However, the government thought it fit to close down wine stores like that was the most pressing problem of Gwadar. The basic issue seems to be that of lack of understanding of the problem.
This is perhaps for the first time in the history of the port city that the conservative female population has hit the streets to protest the shortage of potable water and the lessening chances of livelihood. Among the demands of these people is the removal of additional check-posts at Pushkan, Sarbandan and Gwadar city, the complete removal of fishing trawlers and the opening of the Pakistan-Iran border. People do not need cosmetic measures; they need a good sustainable income, proper jobs, state of the art health and education facilities. Moreover, the residents of these areas also need potable and clean water to lead a quality life.
Although a lot of infrastructural development is taking place in the coastal region of Balochistan, thanks to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the locals say they are not benefitting much. The illegal fishing trawlers have taken away the livelihood of local fishermen whose only survival is fishing. It is extremely unfair to the locals as the closure of the Pakistan-Iran border has also decreased trade between the two countries significantly. In such an economy, it is becoming extremely difficult for those who have livelihood to survive and even more arduous for those who do not have a source of income.
It is the responsibility of the government to provide people with good health and education facilities. Balochistan has always been the most neglected province even though it is the largest and holds one of the most important resources that is natural gas. For decades much has been extracted from the province without a proper compensation and now it is happening at a greater capacity due to the influx of the Chinese in the area. The locals are being neglected more and more. The government needs to act swiftly and concede to the demands of the local population.
