Any Baloch people here?

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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I just have some questions regarding Quetta. We are all brothers and Pakistanis, this is in no way a thread to play on any existing tensions. Allah knows for all the life in me all Pakistanis are my brothers, irrespective of there regional origins.

Is Quetta developed like Lahore, Karachi etc, being a provincial capital?

Is there much industry?

Related Q, and I hope it doesnt cause issues, is the whole Baloch seperatist movement widely supported by the man on the street.

Thanks,

L

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

Rashid Ghazi was Baloch.

how do u..
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Re: Any Baloch people here?

PP1 this is not the time to ask such questions that may be perceived as pouring salt on the wounds of fellow Pakistanis in Balochistan. Please! Balochistan has seen horrible floods. This is the time to support our brothers and sisters. Let's at least pray for their health, and if possible support the organizations working there. If you don't have faith in Pakistani organizations, send medicines to University hospitals there.

May Allah bless those who lost their lives in the floods.

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

What did I say?!?!

World of Warcraft
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Re: Any Baloch people here?

I just wanted to know about Quetta city.

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

There is no industry, no parks (except one prepared and man by army), there are no such roads like Jail, Mall etc,
Pushtuns are in Majority followed by Baloch and a good number of Punjabis and Muhajirs (karachiates)
PMAP has the domination in Quetta but the separatist movement I never heard of before (about few years back)
In Punjab, you can compare it with a city like Okara or Sahiwal etc. Most of the items are smuggled from Iran except fruit which is the production of Quetta/Balochistan probably the best in entire Pakistan.

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

Hahaha.... You have a pretty bad repuatation of asking over-sensetoive questions, I think. People just assume that it is coming from you. Very funny

These are the types of questions, whenever they are raised, should be given serious pondering. We like to hush hush these type of questions and try to avoid them in the name of patriotism. This is exactly the reason why we lost East Pakistan because we wanted them to be PAKISTANI and not to raise any voice.

Balochistan has been neglected for a long time. Every now and then, we give them a lollypop and assume that they will stop crying (like we gave them a Baluch PM, Mr. Jamali).

Balochistan has the biggest natural gas reservoirs and if they demand a bigger cut from the profit as revenue, what is wrong with that.

If they demand that port of Gawadar income should be used (at least a substantial part of it) for the development of Baluchistan then is it wrong

Imran Khan (he is not my hero or what not, I am just quoting him) said in APC that govt. allocated Rs. 500 millions for the development of one park in Islamabad; at the same time they allocated only 1300 millions for the whole province of Baluchistan in this budget. Do the math. Baluchistan worth less then 3 parks in Islamabad

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

Is there really nothing of substance there in terms of physical development?

What are the unis like?

TK,

I agree that Balochistan should be developed inline with all provinces.

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

LOL... Someone has to ask the tough question...:)

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

My experience is few years old, I am not sure about the new development if any. But you can imagine that there are a large number of Punjabis and Muhajirs living with Pushtuns and there has been no serious ethnical antagonism.
I have only seen military regimes taking some developmental work in Balochistan, whether it was Zai's regime or present one. They have mostly been ignored in a democracy where they have hardly 5/6% representation.

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

Area wise Balochestan is the biggest province but has only 8 million inhabitants. Most of the population live in dispersed rural areas and has no access to education. Quetta city is partly better developed and has two or three universities but cannot be compared with Lahore of Islamabad, Khuzdar also has one engineering university.

Balochestan is rich in natural resources, major reserves of gas, iron, zinc, copper, uranium, gold and oil has been discovered. Although Balochestan supplies 36 percent natural gas of country's total production-only four or five districts out of 26 of Balochestan are supplied with natural gas, and that too because of the presence of army garrisons in these districts, even Quetta started to receive gas in late the 80s only.

Another problem is with the gas royalty, the government pays per unit Rs. 190 to Punjab and 170 to Sindh whereas Balochestan gets only Rs. 27 per unit and there is no technical reason for this unjustice.

Another problem is linked with the development of Gwadar city and its port. For locals it is difficult to find a job here, even as a manual worker. Every project is directly controlled by the central government, even the provincial government has been sidelined and has no say in any kind of decision.

People here also fear that the influx of people from other provinces will turn them into a minority in their own province, as Sindhis in urban Sindh.

The main problem is the absence of democracy and democratic institutions in the country that guarantee every right to the weakest member of its society.

Army has conducted at least 4 major operation in Balochestan since the inception of pakistan and thousands of Balochs have been killed in these operations. Those who sruggled for their liberation against the British have themselves colonized other people. Most of the Baloch people don't want to secede from Pakistan, they only want to run their own province just as Punjabis are running theri own province.

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

[When Nawaz Sharif government decided in 1992 to build a seaport at Gwadar Baloch nationalists supported the idea but subsequent developments like the creation of a land market, a planned military base and the expected massive inflow of non-Balochis in a province created fear in Balochis that they may become a minority in their own land.

The unrest started in 2003 and has intensified with time. The rape of a female doctor on January 2, 2005, in the hospital in Sui and later on August, 27, 2006, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was killed in a military operation..

Balochistan has failed to benefit from its own natural resources. The first natural gas deposits were discovered in Sui in 1953. Gas was supplied to Multan and Rawalpindi, in Punjab, in 1964; but Quetta had to wait until 1986 for its share of the gas, which it received because the central government decided to station a military garrison in the provincial capital.

Although natural gas from Balochistan accounts for 36 per cent of Pakistan’s total gas production, the province consumes only 6.12 per cent of its output. The natural gas is being used in the country as feedstock for the production of fertiliser, petrochemicals and power plant. But not a single unit is installed in the province.

The Saindak copper and precious minerals project was supposed to provide training and employment to local youth. The project halted for ten years because of the unwillingness of the federal authorities to provide Rs1.5 billion for it to proceed. It was revived however, with assistance from the Chinese who receive 50 per cent of the profits. Of the remaining 50 per cent, only two per cent accrues to Balochistan, while Islamabad receives 48 per cent.

The Balochs had only a small role in the construction of Gwadar port, a project entirely under the control of the central government. Of the nearly 600 employed in the construction of the first phase of the project, only 100 persons-- essentially daily-wage workers-- were Baloch. No effort was made to train the local youths so that they can find work with the development project.

In addition, the land around the port was acquired below market price by the Pakistan Navy and Coast Guard and distributed to officers has since been subject to a great deal of financial speculation. Mostly non-Baloch have won major jobs and contracts from the armed forces and have benefited from land speculation.](http://www.dawn.com/2007/06/11/ebr10.htm)

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

shawiaz, do you have sources?

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

All these informations are available on the internet.

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

Post a direct link to ur source.

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

^I posted above some excerpts of an article printed in Dawn. Almost everything is mentioned in this article what I said in my post....

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

For once, the REAL truth.
And lack of addressing these issues......makes Baluchistan generally very goverment allergic!

When there was talk about strikes, cutting down the gas supplies......It was made clear to Baluchistan..that all "import" of food would be cut down or simply shut. "Goverment" would starve them instead of being reasonable. At times, I believe this is also why there is so much of ANTI-punjabi ANTI-muhajjir feelings growing stronger at the heart of the youth. A feeling of being allienated..... The Talibans and other ethnic movements are growing stronger..... I hope for time and resolutions. Its going backwards for Quetta.....

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

Is Quetta safe to visit?

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

Sure, you can visit any part of quetta.

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Re: Any Baloch people here?

Tariq bhai.. Islamabad is very important to all Pakistanis- You are putting things as if they are too simple- they are not! Actually, Islamabad is the face of Pakistan outside Pakistan- thats the reason we need to invest so much even if it comes to a park in Islamabad- Balochistan, on the other hand is the least populated city in Pakistan and can do without much development given its population,