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Students and members of the Baloch Students Organisation (BSO) lamented the Pakistani administration for a major budgetary cut in literary organisations of Balochistan, involved in promoting the Balochi language and literature.
The statement by the student organisation came at a press conference organised at the Quetta Press Club, during which they also demanded the revocation of all such budget cuts, pointing out strong and major protests if their demands were not met, The Balochistan Post reported. Members of the BSO, in their statements given at the conference, condemned the local administration for this step taken in the recently presented financial budget of 2024-25. Moreover, several educational organisations from the province like the Balochistan Academy Kech, the Balochi Academy Quetta, and the Izzat Academy Panjgur have been severely impacted by these budget cuts. BSO's Secretary General Samad Baloch, BSO's Information Secretary Shakoor Baloch, and other leaders stressed that the survival and flourishment of mother tongues are important in preserving the unique identity of cultural identity. They pointed out that education in one's mother tongue is crucial for proper learning, and leading countries like Japan, Australia, and England, educate their children using their native languages. The student leaders stated, "oppressors have sought to undermine the cultures and languages of the people they dominate". The BSO leaders also stated that the Pakistani administration has been employing tactics to suppress Balochi literature and the Baloch nation, depriving children in Balochistan of the right to be educated in their mother tongue. Additionally, the BSO also claimed that the local administration has cut the budget of Balochi and Brahvi literature schools by 70 to 90 per cent, while others have had their budgets entirely eliminated. 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 per cent. Other organizations, including, Balochi Labzani Diwan, Raskoh Adbi Diwan, Bravhi Adbi Society, and Mehr Dar, have also experienced significant budget cuts or complete removal. The leaders clarified that the BSO had no problem with other literary organization and their budgetary allocations but budget cuts for Balochi language schools are nothing but linguistic partiality. The BSO leaders condemned the local government, calling it a 'puppet' of Pakistan, and claimed that actions like these demonstrate the province's colonial status. (ANI)
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