The Baloch Students Organization (BSO) has criticized the Balochistan government for drastically reducing the budgets of the Balochistan’s literary organizations dedicated to promoting the Balochi language and literature. The BSO has demanded that the government reverse these budget cuts, threatening protests if their demands are not met.
In a press conference on Friday, the BSO condemned the budget cuts introduced in the Balochistan government’s 2024-2025 budget. Several literary organizations, including the Balochistan Academy Kech, the Balochi Academy Quetta, and the Izzat Academy Panjgur, have been significantly impacted, sparking outrage among Baloch literary experts.
Speaking at the press conference in Quetta, BSO Secretary General Samad Baloch, Information Secretary Shakoor Baloch, and other leaders emphasized the importance of mother tongues in preserving cultural identity. They pointed out that education in one’s mother tongue is crucial for effective communication and learning, as demonstrated by countries like Japan, China, Australia, and England, which educate their children in their native languages.
The BSO leaders argued that historically, oppressors have sought to undermine the cultures and languages of the people they dominate. They accused the Pakistani state of employing similar tactics against Balochi literature and the Baloch nation, depriving children in Balochistan of the right to be educated in their mother tongue.
The BSO further accused the ‘puppet government’ of Balochistan of launching a new offensive against Balochi and Brahvi literature and languages by slashing the budgets of literary organizations. Some organizations have faced budget cuts of 70 to 90 percent, while others have had their budgets entirely eliminated.
For example, the Balochi Academy’s budget was reduced from 50 million rupees to 10 million, and the Balochistan Academy in Turbat saw its budget cut by over 90 percent. Other organizations, such as Balochi Labzani Diwan, Raskoh Adbi Diwan, Bravhi Adbi Society, and Mehr Dar, have also experienced significant budget cuts or complete removal.
The BSO highlighted a disparity in budget allocations, noting that while Balochi and Brahvi literary organizations face severe cuts, Pashto and Hazargi literary organizations are thriving. The BSO leaders clarified that they have no issue with these organizations or their budgets but pointed out the linguistic partiality in the budget cuts. They accused the Balochistan finance secretary of this partiality and announced plans to pursue legal action against him.
The BSO leaders condemned the Balochistan government, labeling it a ‘puppet’ of the Pakistani state, and claimed that actions like these demonstrate Balochistan’s colonial status. They asserted that the real budget is prepared elsewhere and merely presented in the Balochistan Assembly by the state’s hand-picked ‘puppets.’
The BSO called on the government to roll back the budget cuts, warning of protests if their demands are not met.