Poverty and Unemployment in Balochistan

By Shadri Amanullah

I am writing this letter for the people of Balochistan who are facing extreme poverty and unemployment. Most of the people in Balochistan can’t buy basic things like food, clothes, or shelter because they don’t have enough money. It is no longer a small problem, as we all know Balochistan is a land full of valuable resources like gas, gold, and copper. But the government is selling all these resources to other countries, while the local people remain poor.

Many people grow crops or raise animals to survive. Due to the lack of rainfall, the soil has been converted into dust. The lakes and rivers have completely dried up. Because of this, farmers cannot grow crops. Everything like rice, flour, sugar, and all these things is too expensive, so poor families can’t afford them. These things are brought from other cities, so the transportation costs make everything too expensive. These are some of the reasons why the people of Balochistan remain poor.

Many people in Balochistan are unemployed because there are no big factories, offices, or companies in Balochistan. People can only get government jobs, and the problem is that the government does not have enough jobs. Many people feed their families by buying and selling goods with Iran and Afghanistan. Now the government has closed the borders. Due to this, they can’t feed their families.

Most of the universities in Balochistan don’t teach modern skills; they just teach the old lessons. If they teach modern skills to the students, it will be easier for them to find jobs. All the time of the government is spent on the military; due to this, the government forgets to build factories or provide ways for people to earn daily wages.

Many young people who have university degrees are still unemployed. Because of frustration and hopelessness, some young people lose hope despite their efforts. The smart people leave the province and go to other cities and countries to study and get proper jobs. When young people don’t get jobs, they may turn to illegal activities such as drug abuse or smuggling.

To fix this problem, the government must take three steps. We request the authorities to spend the money made from the valuable resources of Balochistan on building local businesses, roads, and water infrastructure. The government should open markets on the borders so that people could trade and earn some money for themselves. And we want the government to open centers for young people where they could learn useful skills like mobile repairing and other useful skills so they could start their own businesses and earn some money.