Pakistan

Army to recruit 10,000 Baloch youth

Gen Kayani says army committed towards addressing Baloch grievances.

Express January 03, 2011

QUETTA: Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Monday said that Pakistan Army will recruit 10,000 Baloch youth by 2012.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Sui Military College in Dera Bugti, Kayani said that the army was committed towards addressing genuine grievances of the Baloch people and that Pakistan’s progress depended on an educated and prosperous Balochistan.

The army chief said that aim of setting up Sui cantonment as an educational city was aimed at dispelling the negativity surrounding cantonments.

He also said that there were 23,000 Baloch students enrolled in 47 seven schools run by the army and the Frontier Corps (FC) in Balochistan.

The military college is expected to begin its first academic year in April 2011.

Around 4,000 youth from Balochistan had been recruited in the Pakistan Army in October 2010.

COMMENTS (28)

Sana | 13 years ago | Reply @Dr Hina Then what does a Baluch wants? Don't they want jobs or education? They should develop expertise to look after the matters of their own province. @ John In your dreams.

Sana | 13 years ago | Reply Good move by the general but what is Govt doing? Isn't it their responsibility to look after Baluchistan development?

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Ameer Hamza | 13 years ago | Reply I think the decision has come a touch too late. By now almost 100% Baloch and Brohi population think of Pakistan as a foreign entity and most of them call themselves a nationalist or a separatist. But this is a commendable decision. Pak Army must also remove most of its hated Punjabi officers from the province and replace them with Sindhi or Pathan officers.

SALEEM BUTT | 13 years ago | Reply Dr Hina....................ok, lets go and open colleges and universities to educate the Baloch but would you go there to teach them , or can you suggest who will teach in that colleges and universities, have you been deeply in balochastan, do you have access to watch them closely, do you know from long time whats going on there? Yes i agree there are several great mistakes by every GOVT of Pakistan but what army has begin to do thats great stretegy for future as Army knows better than civil Govt the situation of Baluchastan, I have few Baluch Sardar friends but i cannt give detail here but may be SQ LDR Ausaf Hussain belong to Airforce Accounts department thats why he cannt understand Army,s strategy.

Soban Akram | 13 years ago | Reply Very nice move by COAS ... These kinds of Cadet College should also be started in central sindh ... and condition of Cadet College Kohat should be revived ....

Dr Hina | 13 years ago | Reply I really appreciate the way you guys respond to this post, some positive and some negative :-) I hope you will take a similar stand for your country when it will need you ... now few answers of some remarks directly addressed to me ... I also want to see not only Balochistan but whole Pakistan prospering ... and for that I prefer to introduce EDUCATION first, rather than directly taking young men into army and giving them a gun in hand, just because it will be a way for generating income ? No doubt, Kiani thought to take a right decision, but It would be more appreciated if he directly ordered Govt in a strategic plan to first introduce education in Balochistan then preferred to higher young men in Army .... according to their will, not taking advantage of the situation. Kiani holds a strong position and he can play his role in a better way rather than taking young minds as robot an making them machine by giving them gun in hand and saying go, fight and earn money plus also save your country .... he could do this after few month or few years, he got an extention now, why he dnt think of this step earlier, why just now he announced ... that Balochi young men will be recruited in army .... I give respect to all you guys comments, but I smell something wrong behind this decision ... as I will relate it to politics, from last 3 year almost we are bearing this govt an its ill governance, still that man never thought to warn the govt ... i m not in favor of Marshal law .... I like democracy too .... but a wise can see and visualize things before they happen, if Kiani had visualized that by recruiting Baloch youth in army he will help them directly indirectly for many things, then he could have taken this step shakking government that GO AND WORK IN BALOCHISTAN as for future we have some plans for Balochistan .... ! anyways, not going to reply other remarks as they are immature !

Aamir Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Good move, investments by Pakistan will ameliorate the Baloch youth and reduce the power of the Sardars.

abdullah | 13 years ago | Reply @dr hina its better to be in the army than die of hunger ppl in balochistan really need a source of income...and if the army men were not there than i think so the talibs would have easily thaken control of our land ...v r really proud of all those who have joined the army ..I SALUTE THEM its they who fight and dont even think about themselves our their families..if u dnt want ppl 2 join army and any country which does not lyk army will have the same fate as palestine

Zeeshan | 13 years ago | Reply @ Hina, All the army personnel belonging to any area of Pakistan are mostly young and someones beloved as well. I am very much convinced about the personality of Kayani and his decisions as well. Very well done Sir.

Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply Dr Hina.....some people are just born negative....no matter what anyone does for them they will be unthankful and critical and try to act as if they are the most neglected and downtrodden just to get more and more and more.... I don't know if you are Baloch or not but I believe people like you should stop expecting the world to feed them like a baby when they themselves dont want to do anything for the world. Get up, get an education, create jobs by starting businesses in Balochistan and grow your economy yourself...everyone does it...and for once instead of trying to get sympathy by self pity and crying...do something positive and constructive....no one will change yoru condition unless you start changing it yourself...not by guns and violence but by hard work and education and entrepreneaurship.

Saud Usmani | 13 years ago | Reply Good Move.. its never too late to reconcile and build trust... and for Dr. Hina, what Baloch people really want?... a few years back I, heard some of baloch nationalist leaders categorically opposing building of Highways, Railway Lines and Ports in Baluchistan they won't allow any development project, they won't accept presence of military and civil establishment, they don't want other nationalities to live in Baluchistan and so on... the question is what sort of RIGHTS they really talking about??? answer: "Independent Baluchistan" on behest of our friendly neighbors.. for that matter UAE, IRAN, AFGHAN etc. so continue your so called fight for rights of Baluchistan and we will continue to protect our homeland.

Sqn Ldr S.Ausaf Husain ( Retd) | 13 years ago | Reply Recruiting Baloch in the army is not a wise decision. Army must realise that around 90 per cent of Baloch youths have been brainwashed by separatists and Indian RAW agents. Majority of them have been recruited by the banned Baloch Republican Army (BLA) and they will now be directed to gain access in the Pak Army by the BLA. It will not be possible to detect who is not the agent of BLA or other underground terrorist organisation or even working as agent of Indian RAW. It may be recalled that same thing also happened in the former East Pakistan as Bengalis of the East Bengal Regiment later became under the influence of ' Muktibahanis' and agents of RAW and turned against the Pakistan Army just before the debacle of East Pakistan in 1971and Bengali soldiers started murdering their West Pakistani officers. Moreover, here a question to be answered that why the British did not consider Baloch to induct in the army during the British Raj in India? Why Army did not consider recruiting Baloch in army earlier and why now after 63 years after independence especially immediately independence when there was a mass recruitment and the after 1965 and 1971wars when again army needed the manpower? Recruitment of Baloch in the army now is merely a political decision.

Nazir Habib | 13 years ago | Reply The federal government ignores them, the sardars ignore them, the provincial government ignores them, so if the Pakistan Army does NOT ignore them we cry and clamor for justice. There should be a limit on hypocrisy. This is an excellent move on the part ofthe Pak Army. The only sensible and sentient instituition in Pakistan alongwith the Supreme Court and Compettion Commission. Salams and best wishes for 2011.

HS Sultan | 13 years ago | Reply The Balochistan issue is almost completely based on the issue of people outside the province getting the jobs that should belong to local baloch youth. That's why the qouta thing requesting more Baloch to be inducted into whatever jobs are being created has always been a primary demand of Baloch people. Kiyani is COAS not a politician but he has addressed this problem beautifully by providing 60% qouta for Baloch students in the college which is highly commendable. Balochistan has the highest unemployment rate and although industry and investment in the province is already limited militancy scares away potential business further. Further efforts must be made to improve things in Balochistan and address the grievances of the people. And Dr Hina why do you oppose this move? It will empower the baloch population further and give them control of their own provinces security and aleviate the feeling that punjabi soldiers are occupying their province. They must be made to feel a part of the union and it can be easy to ignore them as they make up only about 4% of Pakistani population. But they are also part of the country. Especially this feeling of Punjabi dominance has to disappear in the province as it is devastating for the union of Pakistan. The Baloch must feel a proud part of Pakistan and must be treated as such. The military is perhaps the only hope for this country.

Mohammed+Abbasi | 13 years ago | Reply Good move, Baluch people need to be more educated and play a better part in the future development of themselves and society at large. In fact all of Pakistan needs to focus on education and development rather than the worship of mullahs

jutt | 13 years ago | Reply now every things happens any force do u say.....army is doing...

jutt | 13 years ago | Reply but madam doctor how u can say that thez ppl r kiilled by army..are they mad.....for God sake look into details .....what is going there re many forces doing bad there so souse ur brain as well...thr 4 there are also false eggs thr as well

Ajay | 13 years ago | Reply A very clever move..I do not understand why Army didn't think of it earlier. Given the huge problem of Baloch youth being so dissatisfied being in Pakistan, various Baloch tribes trying to join hands in fight against Pakistan, the only viable strategy can be: Set up lot of cantonments in Balochistan..by making this one educational, Army has given it a civilian benefit look which may not really be the case. So that Army can watch the region very closely as it is mineral rich and critical for Pakistan. Channel the Balochi youth away from dissidence by giving jobs and education. Since only a defined number of jobs can be generated and there are not many industries in Pakistan nor are there skilled Balochis, so the best generator of employment can be Army. So announcement of recruiting 10000 balochis is a real incentive. Additionally if those Balochis employed by Army are promoted fast and given lot of perks and comforts, that is the best way to have a committed Balochi regiment protect Baluchistan from dissident Balochis. So this move is more a strategic move to prevent Baluchistan from sinking further not driven by a benevolent intention towards welfare of Baluchis. My guess.

Raqib Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Welcome Balochi brothers!

Ali Haider | 13 years ago | Reply Very nice step. Long Live Pak Army.

faraz | 13 years ago | Reply Good decision. And stop the pro-establishment intelligensia from labelling Balochs as RAW agents; it further alienates the youth. We need to bring them back into the mainstream.

Mawali | 13 years ago | Reply Excellent move!

John | 13 years ago | Reply What about independence for Balochistan ?

Dr Hina | 13 years ago | Reply I STRONGLY OPPOSE THIS DECISION, recruiting young men, for ? This is not what Baloch want or at least I cant digest it ... ! Mother lose their son, sister lose their brother I dnt know, I am just against this decision ... X-( !!!!

abdullah kayani | 13 years ago | Reply gud work done by kayani but the government should do more 4 educating baloch ppl.as this is their right..and should provide better healthcare facilities and should create more jobs in balochistan..govt should also finish insurgency in balochistan.lets consider this 2 b the first step

umar khaliq | 13 years ago | Reply i appreciate the General kayani move it will help adressing greivences of baloch people to some extent.i would like to suggest to Government to take the balochistan insurgency and unrest issue at its top priority and to educate baloch youth so they can play thier rightful role in pakistan progress.without balochistan we can not progress at the right pace.

Muriam | 13 years ago | Reply a good attempt by army chief.....

Mohammad naeem | 13 years ago | Reply This is a Good step but at wrong timing. Is COAS trying to make his repute for taking some big jump then he should besides give an statement regarding current scenario and benazir assasination report to make his position clearer before the nation.

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