Urbanization has taken over the landscape of Balochistan. The aerial view is composed of sky-rocketing scrapers and the area is booming with cars, and machinery. Metro trains and metro-buses have taken over the city, and it only takes 20 minutes to travel from one town to another. Lifespans have increased, hospitals are constructed in every part of the province be it urban or old rural. The province seems to be fleeting with more foreigners than locals. It is a sight indeed, an indigenous place devoid of its indigenous population. Chinese, English, American, German, you name it, you will find people from all over the world in this part of Pakistan. It has become the most attractive hub for jobs for new graduates across the country, and even the globe.
What about the people of Balochistan themselves you ask? There’s always a price for such an economic and social grandeur. The bigger the success, the bigger the price. The unfortunate thing is, often the people who pay the price do not get to taste the sweet fruit for success. Similar was the case in this success, people who gave their blood, sweat, and tears for the noble cause of urbanization and industrialization seem to be hidden in the corner somewhere now. Those who worked hard day and night for the prosperity of their beloved land seem not to recognize their own land anymore. Or rather, they lost themselves in this endeavor of prosperity and empowerment. They were forced to given in to the noble cause of industrialization, and at the end they had nothing left in them.
The marvel of apricots, peaches, cherries and other specialties of the province now only exist in photos. This luxury, like many other, too is only limited to the foreign tourists. The people who once made their livelihood through farming and agriculture, the people who survived on these delicacies and took pride in sending them across the country are now nowhere to be seen. But don’t you worry, there is a rushing crowd of tourists all over Balochistan, it has even made it to the most attractive tourist hubs. Who could have thought, right? The Balochistan, even Pakistani travelers rarely visited, is now filled with international tourists. They are taking pictures of a few dying trees left here, and they are all gathered around th4e last Karez of the province. There’s so much to lose, and they want to capture it all. As Keats said, “Beauty is truth, and truth beauty.” I think they are all believers of his idea of beauty. Since, this is the truth of the region and they think it’s beautiful. This destruction that asked for too much must be beautiful, we can’t deny it.
It is May and there is heavy snowfall (Khan) There are not crops left anymore. All the inhabitants have moved somewhere or maybe they are no more. Who could tell in this rush of industrialization? The mechanic success has not only taken over the local beauty, but local lives as well. There’s a price for prosperity, but must it be such a huge price? Today, all the people from surrounding areas have come to witness the magnificence of snowfall in the summers. They are all gathered around the last karez taking pictures of the snow-covered mountains across the dry Hanna Lake. Who could have thought it would ever snow in May? This, and many other marvels continue to occur in the land of pure. There were many cautions and campaigns on paper in the beginning of this prosperous destruction, but now no one cares.
The image I have sketched above might seem a little improbable but this image turning into reality is not too far away if the industrialization keeps on booming in Baluchistan at the same ratee, without any consideration to climate change. The province as a pre-industrialized area has already started facing the consequences of climate change. The Karez system is almost dead, and the weather has been changing drastically. We all need to join hands and spread awareness on this pertinent issue, or else we will lose everything and only come to realize it once it’s too late. This was my humble attempt at trying to bring the attention of public to the impeding destruction of climate change. As Balochistan will get industrialized and developed with the upcoming projects, the traditional methods of earning and living will lose their charm[CITATION Nas \l 1033 ]. This combined with the consequences of climate change will surely have a huge negative impact on the indigenous community of the province. This is the right time to join our hands and take serious action to avoid this drastic situation that I have sketched above. I hope my blog will at least enlighten the youth of Balochistan and drive them towards their responsibility of sharing awareness and playing their part in preservation for their traditional and natural heritage.
