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00:00Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is Pakistan's largest province.
00:05It is one of the most remote and the poorest region in the country.
00:09However, it is rich in natural resources.
00:12The majority of the population here lives in dire poverty.
00:19This wood we cut from the mountains.
00:22We don't have gas, electricity or water.
00:24We use this solar panel for power during the day.
00:27The natural gas is extracted from here and taken to other parts of the country, but it's
00:31not available for us.
00:33The feeling of being left behind is widely shared.
00:36The population continues to demand an equal share of the province's resources.
00:43The state doesn't do anything for us.
00:45We have nothing.
00:46It's 2024 and it's like we are living in the 19th century.
00:49I have spent half of my life like this and the next generation will go through the same.
00:53We think of ourselves as Pakistani, but the state doesn't.
00:56The Balochti people are sidelined.
01:00The frustration of the population in Balochistan has made it a breeding ground for armed separatist
01:05groups that have been demanding greater autonomy for decades.
01:10One of them is the Balochistan Liberation Army, which carried out deadly attacks on
01:14civilians and security forces on the 26th of August.
01:18Others who choose political dissidence face persecution.
01:22According to activists, enforced disappearances are widespread in the region.
01:30This was my son.
01:31His name was Jalil Rekhi.
01:33He was highly educated.
01:35He was into political activities and writing columns.
01:37He was abducted on February 13th, 2009.
01:41In 2011, we found his dead body covered in torture marks.
01:47According to the families of the victims, tens of thousands of people have been kidnapped
01:51and thousands of bodies have been found since the year 2000.
01:55The authorities deny it, while anger against the government rises.
02:03If you don't give the youth employment, you make them hopeless and harass them when they
02:07speak.
02:08Then it's obvious they will turn to militancy.
02:11The situation has become so bad that we stand at a point of no return.
02:17The insurgency in Balochistan adds to the violence perpetrated by other armed groups
02:22such as the Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic State group.
02:25Last year, more than 1,500 people were killed in terrorist attacks across the country.