One difference between elections in 2013 and those we saw 2018 is that the security situation overall seemed to have improved since the last time Pakistanis voters went to polls. But although there were less frequent terrorist attacks, those that occurred were devastating in their scale. The people of Balochistan had barely recovered from the trauma of the gruesome massacre in Mastung when another terrorist attack shocked the entire province on the day of general election. According to eyewitnesses, voters were standing in a queue in front of a polling station in Quetta when a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing at least 31 and injuring more than 100 people. It was another attack claimed by Islamic State (IS).
Despite the constant shadow of fear and insecurity in the province, the people of the region have high hopes from the upcoming government. Talking to The Friday Times, Muhammad Hanif Achakzai, a resident of Quetta, says that despite the perception the elections were engineered, he believes that he has done his civic duty by voting in the polls. “I do not share the pessimism of some of my friends and relatives. I believe my vote can change my future and I hope the new government will perform better than the previous ones.”
Voters thronged to polling stations in Balochistan despite two attacks in the province on the same day
Most seats from Balochistan were won by Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), Awami National Party and some independent candidates. The Hazaras, Christians and other minority groups seem to be supporting BAP while Balochistan National Party (Mengal) and Jamiat Ulma-e Islam seem to have made an alliance. As a result, a formula for a coalition government was decided. Mir Jam Kamal has been nominated the new chief minister and Abdul Qudoos Bizinjoo as speaker for Balochistan Assembly. Both are both from BAP. Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal has chosen to sit on the opposition benches and has expressed reservations over the election process and the way “BAP has been imposed on Balochistan politics by some hidden forces,”
However, former chief minister Mir Abdul Quddos Bizinjo has rejected these claims and told reporters that “BAP leaders have scored a historic win in both southern parts of Balochistan and the northern Pakhtun-dominated areas of the province.” Bizinjo says bad governance had united the people of Balochistan against the parties which ruled the province previously.
A Fresh Start
The new coalition government will combat many challenges and the government in Balochistan sees the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as the main line for potential development in the future. At the same time, India is expanding its presence in Chabahar with heavy investments and upgrades. This port is 100 nautical miles from Gawadar. India has recently committed $400 million in steel to construction of railway connecting Chabahar and Zahedan, a city near the Afghan border. These developments might prove to be tricky for the new government to handle and it remains to be seen how BAP will deal with the challenge.
Naturally, the people of Balochistan expect good governance and access to health, education and water management. These issues were neglected by the previous government as the last few years were spent in a constant struggle for the office of chief minister. Three chief ministers came and went but the quality of lives of the people living in this province did not improve.
Balochistan has the highest levels of unemployment than any other province - Around 80 percent residents of the province are unemployed. Poverty and shortage of economic opportunities are two major reasons behind growing suicide rates in the province.
Furthermore, Quetta’s geographical position creates challenges for urban development, such as construction of new buildings. This scribe learnt that over 30 percent of high-rise buildings in the city violate the standards set under the seismic code of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA)
Balochistan overall is vulnerable to devastating earthquakes and rural areas such as Kohlu, Barkhan, Musakhel, Jaffarabad, Dera Allah Yar, Gandakha, Jhal Magsi, Jewani tehsi, and some other districts are prone to natural disasters, including endemic droughts, flooding and cyclones. These events regularly damage and disrupt lives of local communities and impede economic growth. The new government must also draw up plans to be prepared for natural disasters.
The author is a freelance writer and can be reached at asdprg@gmail.com
