The mess created in Balochistan is the doing of our able rulers both civil and military. The painful slow speed with which the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package has been handled is attributed to none other than these leaders. However, another dimension that goes unnoticed is the power that is vested in the hands of the people.
Extending a quote of Abraham Lincoln in which he says whether you think you can or can’t…you are right, and applying it to the Balochistan context one can easily conclude that the ability to perform and succeed in any case stems from the unwavering belief that the mission of turning the province into a haven of modernity is easily possible.
This responsibility lies predominantly upon the Baloch leaders who must be their true representatives, to take the rein of Balochistan in their hands to make sure the development work that has been initiated, albeit at a slow pace, be made speedy and target oriented. For this purpose deadlines ought to be set and timelines need to be drawn for contractors and companies involved.
One huge hindrance encountered during developmental projects, especially in cases of construction of roads and highways has been the inter-tribal feuds. Many workers have lost their lives in these clashes with the result that not many are motivated to run such risks. With the current spell of ethnic cleansing being carried out by Baloch insurgents where scores of settlers and some foreigners have been killed including college and university teachers hardly provides any motivation.
The locals thus need to be trained to effectively handle all sorts of work starting from the managerial duties to manual tasks. This would allow them, as genuine stakeholders, to act in a more responsible manner.
To realise that the need to perpetuate the warring tribal culture is central to the Baloch psyche, but surely aiding the process of development is equally central. The tribal leaders and elders need to act more maturely and wisely to shed their prejudices, rising above old fashioned emotionalism to converge to a point where their interests lie so that Balochistan should also experience the growth it deserves.
DR SAFA RAHMAN
Islamabad