“Lack of power is a universal and basic characteristic of poverty. Poverty is not solely a lack of income, but rather is characterized by a vicious cycle of powerlessness, stigmatization, discrimination, exclusion and material deprivation, which all mutually reinforce each other.” Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona
Since the creation of Pakistan as an independent state, it faced multifaceted challenges and probably it’s still facing. Among various problems, the biggest one was political instability. This political instability brought long-term devastation for all provinces of Pakistan. A troubled history of the particular province of Balochistan added to the list of issues. The predicament faced by the Baloch people was because of their political contours. The sardars who were living over there and controlling thousands of people of their clans and tribes did not want the growth of people because at the end of the day if the people of Balochistan became educated they would understand that deprivation was only inherent in the tribal system and would soon revolt against their tribal leaders. So the majority of sardars played their role in a cynic way and crafted a narrative against the state of Pakistan. In totality, these sardars have sabotaged the progress of the Baloch people and whole province.
With the passage of time, the political environment has changed and there is a paradigm shift in the politics of Balochistan. True Baloch representation is now looming in the political arena of Balochistan whereas the situation of the province is far better than before. Balochistan is now in the limelight of the federation of Pakistan. This assumption can be gauged by the recent senate elections. The opposition parties of Pakistan named Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf reiterated that Chairman Senate should be from Balochistan, if not than at least Deputy Chairman should be selected from Balochistan. Both political parties of Pakistan have been entangling their efforts to bring the representation of Balochistan into the mainstream by crafting this move. Moreover Chief Minister of Balochistan Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo also visited Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Chairman for this metamorphosis in the political arena.
This representation is not any kind of test experience in the political arena of Pakistan. History witnessed that people from Balochistan whenever given the chance have produced the best out of it. For instance, the then Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali was from Balochistan, moreover, ex- Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry also belonged to Balochistan and served two consecutive terms which were quite vital for Pakistan. So, in a holistic view, Balochistan always paved way for progress and prosperity for Pakistan.
This time if the Speaker for Senate or Deputy Speaker for Senate would be selected from Balochistan it will add to the sense of ownership of the Baloch people. It is time to harness the efforts politically and socio-economically to mend Balochistan towards a developed province.
