DND Report
The Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif held a press briefing on Thursday that was a multilayered and multidimensional talk. Still, the most significant was the facts he shared about Balochistan. He assuredly unpacked the false narrative of the ‘victim card’ that has virtually expired its utility life as Sharif provided a comprehensive view on the Balochistan issue. He also highlighted the contributions and sacrifices of the people of Balochistan in their fight against anti-state elements.
DG ISPR while talking about Balochistan stated that this land is the heart of Pakistan and the glory of Pakistan. His talk was full of facts that national media should highlight because anti-state elements portray Balochistan as a primitive and forgotten land and claim that Pakistan does not care about the largest province of its federation. However, things are otherwise and Balochistan and its residents play a vital role in the development of the country.
The significant points that DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif shared during his talk with media men are summed up as follows:
When it comes to Pakistan Army, there is hardly any army officer who has not served or received training in Balochistan therefore this land is home for every soldier at least once in his/her lifetime. Balochistan is about 45% of Pakistan in terms of area but if it is seen in terms of population, the population of Pakistan is about 250 million, while the population of Balochistan is about 14-15 million. Due to this, the problems of low population in a large area hamper infrastructure development work.
Related Story: Facts that must be shared with the youth of Balochistan
In addition to Baloch, Pakhtuns, Brahvis, Hazaras, settlers and other social groups also live in Balochistan. Meanwhile, a large number of Balochs are living in Punjab, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and contribute to the society and economy of the entire country as Balochs are very zealous, intelligent, and hardworking people. Asrar Khan Kakar, who hails from the Qila Abdullah district of Balochistan, created history by winning the presidency of Oxford Union as the first person from Balochistan and the third person from Pakistan. Shahzeb Rind from Balochistan recently knocked out an Indian opponent in just 20 seconds in a karate combat. Ayesha Zehri, a girl from Balochistan has created history by becoming the first woman deputy commissioner of Balochistan in the Awaran district. Dr. Abdul Samad Yarjan from Bulidah town of Kech district of Balochistan got the honor of being the first Pakistani space scientist to work at Cambridge University. While citing a recent incident in which a brave driver saved a family from a flash flood by putting his life at stake, DG ISPR mentioned Mohibullah Baloch who saved people’s lives by risking his life. It is pertinent to mention that Mohibullah has become a symbol of bravery in social as well as mainstream media and Prime Minister Sharif invited him to Islamabad and awarded him with cash and kind.
Related Story: Academic documentation is needed to show Baloch youth who is the real enemy
DG ISPR said that the people mentioned above are the real face of Balochistan and they are proud assets not only for Balochistan but for the whole of Pakistan. There is hardly any tehsil, district, or place in Balochistan, where there are no graves of martyrs of the Pakistan Army and law enforcement agencies. He cited names such as Deputy Commissioner Panjgur Zakir Baloch Shaheed, Journalist Muhammad Siddique Mengal Shaheed, DSP Nawaz Gishkuri Shaheed, Lieutenant Jahangir Marri Shaheed, Sepoy Shabbir Baloch Shaheed and many more Balochistan martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Pakistan.
Contrary to these facts, we are fully aware that a handful of terrorists in Balochistan are hiding behind false narratives, one of which is the sense of deprivation and the other is the lack of real representation. If we look at the facts on the ground, we will find contradictions and weaknesses in these narratives.
Related Story: Balochistan Bleeds: Security spectrum and responsibility of political parties
- The budget of Balochistan for the year 2023-24, was allocated 750 billion rupees, of which 520 billion rupees was given by the federal government to the government of Balochistan, which is 70 percent of the budget.
- Apart from this, the government of Balochistan has an annual profit of 254 billion rupees in terms of royalties.
- About 80% of the people working in mineral-related industries also belong to Balochistan province.
- If we talk about infrastructure, where the length of roads in Balochistan was 375 km in 1947, now 25,000 km of roads have been laid and eight national highways have been built in Balochistan while no other province of Pakistan has eight national highways connecting all four provinces.
- About education, more than 73,000 students of Balochistan are given scholarships for their higher studies within the country and abroad and a tentative budget of half a billion rupees is being provided by the federal government for these scholarships.
- If Balochistan is compared with other provinces, the technical training opportunities in Balochistan province are many more than in Punjab and KP. Similarly, there are 13 cadet colleges in Balochistan and there are also many residential colleges and universities.
- In terms of infrastructure and special projects, CPEC, Gwadar Airport, Aghaz-e-Haqq-i Balochistan, Khushal Balochistan, Reco dek project, 100 Dams Project, Solarized Tubewells project, Kuchi Canal project, Panjgur Date Processing Plant and many other such projects are contributing to the economy of the province as well as of the country. These facts indicate that despite the lack of resources in the country, Balochistan has a special priority in these resources in every respect. Over time, efforts have been and will continue to be made to improve the infrastructure and economic and social projects of Balochistan.
- If we talk about the false narrative that Balochistan has no real representation of the people of Balochistan, it is untrue because the same system of government is established in Balochistan which exists in other regions and provinces of Pakistan and the same share of seats in Balochistan has in Upper House of the Parliament—the Senate as any other province has. All the political parties have been taking part in the political governance of Balochistan and Balochistan gets an extra share in federal jobs, in university admissions, and in state institutions through the quota system. Apart from this, Balochistan got the most important positions in the federal government such as the Prime Minister, the Chairman Senate, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the bureaucracy, and the armed forces of Pakistan.
From the facts mentioned above, we can conclude that behind terrorism and its narratives, there is an external strategy, funding, support, and criminal mafia that wants the people of Balochistan to remain confused because terrorists and their external facilitators are enemies of Balochistan’s development and prosperity. In the recent terrorist incidents, why did these terrorists blow up the Kolpur bridge with explosives? so that the journey of economic development of Balochistan will be hampered and ordinary citizens will suffer.
The heinous incident on 25/26 August was a part of an external conspiracy. After several setbacks and losses at the hands of the security forces recently, such as the failed attacks on Gwadar and Naval Base Turbat, in which several terrorists were killed, the terrorists targeted the soft target i.e. bus passengers for their brutality. This cruelty has nothing to do with humanity, Islamic values, and Baloch traditions. We say to these oppressors that instead of shedding the blood of innocent and innocent citizens, come and fight with us if you have the courage.
We should remember that the brave people of Balochistan have rejected the enemies of the state, and stand with government and state institutions and they will not allow terrorists to hamper the development and prosperity of Balochistan.
