Daily Times

Sir: Back in 2012, the former Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, made an announcement in order to inform the public that the University of Punjab in Lahore would henceforth reserve 100 seats for students from Balochistan.

This move came in light of the rising incidents of violence between the different communities in Pakistan, and was done to bridge the gap between the people of Punjab, and Balochistan, as well as to provide better and new opportunities for the disenfranchised young Balochis in the country.

Since then, many Baloch students have availed this incredible scholarship in order to get a free and quality education, with many of them belonging to financially weak families who otherwise would never have the resources to provide their children with such a fortuitous chance.

However, this great initiative was not meant to last, and recently the people in power decided to reduce the number of reserved seats from the previous 100, to 53. This has obviously affected the futures of many Baloch students who had hoped to get admission in PU and has resulted in many of them launching a protest movement and even a sit in to object to this flagrant change in rules.

The relationship between the people of Balochistan and Punjab has always been tricky, and it is moves like these that make the Baloch population feel like outsiders within their own country. This move will only result in an escalation of tensions between both provinces and I now implore the administration of PU, as well as the Punjab government, to rethink their decision and reinstate the reserved seats promised to the Balochis not so long ago.

IRSHAD HAMEED

Washuk

Published in Daily Times, July 26^th 2018.