Qamber Ali
Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal has claimed that the entire port city of Gwadar was open except some areas where barbed wires had been laid by the government to provide extra security because of a recent incident. The hashtag of Gwadar fencing was trending on Twitter on 11th December considering it a blockage of the port city which will exclude its natives for availing the opportunities promised in the framework of the corridor. Neither the natives are erroneous about the flashing news nor the government in certain liabilities.
The citizens of Gwadar are facing inequality in education, health, and job opportunities. On one hand, the governments in Balochistan including the opposition who were once in governance in the first phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) excluded the natives. From the fishermen’s problems to the water scarcity, a full master plan of the region is inevitable.
In crystal view, consequences are legitimate to be solved and easy strategies can sum them up in small-term plans such as in PSDP. On the other hand, opposition senator Mir Kabir Mohammad Shahi alleged the federal and provincial governments in a conspiracy to “Separate Gwadar from Balochistan” by fencing the port city. For more information, his critique may be a better solution for the problems of the poor citizens but why not within opposition leadership with the current PTI government?
In an optimistic view, our government must have opportunistic Challenges. As such chaos has emerged so rapidly in the world including catastrophes of global warming, pollution, and the most recently COVID-19. Considering the problems of the poor development in Balochistan and particular Gwadar must have a greater field of vision than manifold politics. A recipe for the following can be a major development procedure if the government considers:
1) Providing job opportunities by uplifting poverty in Balochistan and in particular Gwadar.
2) A permanent solution to the fishermen of the port city and investments in health, education including scholarships in country-wide and foreign scholarships for understanding the corridor opportunities.
3) Providing internet facilities and virtual connectivity for understanding issues and global solidarity
4) Investment in the agricultural sector for rural growth
5) A permanent leadership among global stakeholders and national leaders including the leadership in Balochistan will manifest a great bilateral relationship.
The writer belongs to Turbat and is a Student of Political Science at GCU Lahore. He tweets at @qambibaloch.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are those of the author and Balochistan Voices not necessarily agrees with them.
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