Despite the havoc wrought by the cement plants here, the scenic hills and valleys of the Salt Range present a beguiling picture with lush green fields, loquat trees in fruit, and natural springs of crystal-clear water. The absorbing beauty of the Katas Raj complex haunts visitors; merely a furlong away is the Government Cadet College Choa Saidan Shah, located on the foothills over a vast area, home to young cadets from Punjab and Balochistan.

At the college gates, two vigilant security guards stop me. They let me enter the college after getting an okay from their boss.

Professor Raja Iftikhar Ahmed, principal of the college, takes me to the college library. Going by the calibre of the collection, one can say with certainty that the college is doing its best to produce a clear-thinking batch of cadets.

Afterwards, I’m left to converse with a group of Baloch cadets who have just returned after taking a test. Grade 11 students, they look confident and excited and are fluently talking in English.

Cadets at Government Cadet College Choa Saidan Shah. —Nabeel Anwar Dhakku

The newly founded college houses 40 Baloch students from various districts of the province on a special quota reserved under the much-touted Aghaz-i-Haqooq-i-Balochistan Package passed by the previous PPP government. Here, there seems to be no Punjabi-Baloch rivalry; instead, there is a visible sense of camaraderie.

“When we got admission at this college four years ago, we were very sensitive about the dynamics, culture and circumstances of Punjab and Balochistan being different. Besides, a Punjabi phobia was also on our minds,” says Waqar Ahmed, a student from Pishin district who recently secured the second position in the 10th grade exam of the Rawalpindi board of education. “But all our apprehensions were proved wrong as our Punjabi friends treated us as special guests,” he adds.

Cadets at Government Cadet College Choa Saidan Shah. —Nabeel Anwar Dhakku

“The Baloch students are not only physically strong but they are also intelligent,” says Principal Ahmed. “Three Baloch students — Waqar Ahmed from Pishin, Mohammad Amjad from Kohlu and Furqan Hameed from the bordering district of Musakhel — command three houses at the college. They wear uniforms decorated with three stars. We receive a lot of applications from Balochistan for admission, and I’m very thankful to the Punjab government which is providing funds to set up the facilities that are missing.”

Even so, all is not entirely well. Though equal to their colleagues from Punjab in every way, a sense of deprivation and anger can be discerned in the eyes of the Baloch students. There is a Baloch cadet whose cousin was picked up and whose dead body was found later. He had participated in a pro-Bugti demonstration taken out in the wake of the Baloch chieftain’s killing. “Although the pain of my cousin’s murder a few years ago refuses to go away, I would say that my province must remain part of Pakistan,” says the cadet. “But it seems that the establishment and the rulers in Islamabad do not want to redress the grievances of our people.”

Cadets at Government Cadet College Choa Saidan Shah. —Nabeel Anwar Dhakku

The Baloch cadets voice serious concerns about the army’s dubious role in their province. “The army is responsible for creating the law and order situation in Balochistan,” the cadets say unanimously. “Had Akbar Bugti not been killed, there would have been peace in the province,” they argue. Holding the political rulers also responsible for making Balochistan a troubled province, these students say that no ruler has taken any serious or concrete steps to redress the longstanding grievances of the Baloch people.

“During our weekend holidays we go to Chakwal city for shopping,” they say. “When we see gas connections installed at every house in Chakwal city, we feel pain. It is our province, Balochistan, from where gas is being supplied to every nook and corner of Pakistan. Even the remote villages of a small district like Chakwal have gas, but our own major cities still don’t have any.” Another student points out that many villages and towns of Balochistan are still lacking in basic facilities such as electricity and hospitals.

Cadets at Government Cadet College Choa Saidan Shah. —Nabeel Anwar Dhakku

Under the quota under which they are studying at cadet colleges in Punjab, the federal government also promised to provide students from Balochistan Rs2,000 as pocket money and two air trips a year to their province. In the beginning, the cadets used to receive the pocket money regularly but now they say that instead of being increased, their pocket money has been decreased to Rs1,000, and even that is not provided on time. “We are worrying how we will continue our studies after passing our intermediate exams as the federal government has not taken any step for our higher education at the university level,” they say.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play