Balochistan’s youth: Unemployment, lack of education causes of anger: JI

LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has said that unemployment and deprivation from education are the primary causes of frustration and anger among Balochistan’s youth, stressing that the province’s problems cannot be resolved through military operations but by ensuring education, jobs, and constitutional rights for the people.

Addressing a Bano Qabil ceremony organised by Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan in Gwadar, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman called for lifting restrictions on border trade with Iran and resolving the long-standing issue of missing persons. He said peace cannot be established in Balochistan through force, and that denial of rights naturally breeds resentment against the state.

Thousands of boys and girls appeared in entry tests for free IT courses under the Bano Qabil programme. Jamaat-e-Islami Balochistan Emir Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman Baloch also addressed the ceremony.

The JI chief congratulated Alkhidmat Foundation on the initiative and announced that under the expanded Z-Connect programme, youth will be provided not only free IT education but also technical training and interest-free loans. He said Bano Qabil has now been broadened into Z-Connect, which also includes moral training and promotion of sports among youth.

Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman highlighted that nearly 50 percent of school-age children in Balochistan are out of school.

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“When unemployment prevails and the Baloch people are denied their rights, anger against the state is a natural outcome,” he said, adding that problems cannot be solved at gunpoint and that people must be given their due rights.

He said restrictions on border trade have created immense difficulties for the people of Gwadar and other border areas, demanding constitutional protection for cross-border trade in the province. He emphasized that the first right over Balochistan’s resources belongs to its people, criticizing what he termed an imposed elite for controlling resources and perpetuating an outdated system. “The entire system is rotten and must be changed,” he said, urging Baloch youth to join Jamaat-e-Islami in the struggle for systemic reform.

Terming Z-Connect a revolutionary initiative, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said Jamaat-e-Islami is doing its part within available resources and is striving for the rights of youth across the country. “If Balochistan’s problems are resolved, Pakistan will progress,” he said.

He pointed out that while around 150,000 jobs are available in the province, nearly four million youth are unemployed.

“When there is economic deprivation and people’s loved ones go missing, how can the public be expected to fully abide by the law?” he questioned, adding that safeguarding the Constitution is primarily the responsibility of those who govern the state.

He recalled Jamaat-e-Islami’s long march for the rights of Balochistan’s people and vowed to continue the struggle, urging the people of the province—especially the youth—to actively participate in the movement for change.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026