A civilized state always recognizes all the basic rights of its citizens including education, equality, no discrimination, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, no slavery, right to live freely and, most importantly, protection of the citizens. Pakistani constitution, from article 8 to 27 renders fundamental rights to its citizens, but only in paper.
Despite the mention of fundamental rights in the constitution of Pakistan, Baloch students are being killed unkindly in the region under a ‘well-known’ policy. The security forces, along with the death squads, are directly involved in the killing of innocent Baloch students. This tactic is a legacy of the colonial system. Because whenever the colonizer intends to bring a state under its colony, it targets the students.
On one hand, ‘they’ are claiming for the progress and development of the Baloch nation, and on the other, killing the young generation (students) of Balochistan. Here a question arises that, who is the main character in the building of a nation and is the secret of progress? Here we realize that these claims are only means to make us fool, not progress in real means.
In fact, students are the pillars of a nation. They use their energy with full of confidence to build up their nation, and to be helpful in the progress and development of their nation. They try to study their history and have a chance to change the direction of their nation towards betterment by looking and criticizing on the past mistakes which have been done by the nation itself. Nevertheless, it is the students who can change the fate of their nation.
Meanwhile, the Baloch students are also the pillars of Baloch nation, who aspire to change the fate of their ‘backward’ Baloch nation. The students are studying their history, and trying to make the best for themselves in the near future. However, they are being interrupted in middle with tactics as they are being abducted and killed one by one briskly and rapidly.
Looking at the current scenario of Balochistan, one can feel that the policymakers are trying to put the Baloch students in a dark cave by making them involved in idle and wrong activities like robbery, drugs, etcetera. It is, maybe, that they know if Baloch students study, they will claim their basic rights which are forcedly snatched from them at this era.
Be it any department in Balochistan, it faces several downs. Education is the most important of all which has been spoiled up in this region. We have only few schools, colleges and universities which cannot accommodate the entire students of Balochistan, hence compelling the students to quit.
Instead of enhancing the quality of Balochistan’s education and making more higher institutions, the Pakistani government is taking out the Baloch students who are enrolled in Punjab and other parts of the state in different ways; either by abducting them or cancelling their scholarships. Had they not established the present educational institutions [14,855 schools, 116 colleges and 8 universities] in Balochistan, the government(s) would have never let the small number of Baloch students to get education.
From Sami Baloch to Jameel Baloch, Hayat to Yasir Zafar, the security forces are targeting Baloch students in different ways to insert a sort of fear among the Baloch students that they can be next. This culture will go very long unless we raise our voices against such incidents.
Baloch are a strong nation. History is witness, Baloch have never bent down and broken in front of cruelty, but faced all the difficult challenges, inhumane actions and all the atrocities towards them. Nonetheless, the persecutions are being conducted by the tyrant and oppressor constantly. The strategies and policies are being changed, not the tyrannies.
The law and rules are completely being violated here and the constitution, which claims for the protection of citizens, is being violated as well. One wonders, when will these atrocities end for Baloch students?
