Before a decade, nobody could see a picture of a Baloch girl on social media. The reason was not that there was no internet or mobiles but the reason was the mindset of people. The people were and still are in some quantity bounded by so-called cultural norms. It was almost impossible to find a picture of a girl even on their own families’ mobile phones. If a girl’s picture was seen, the girl was numbered among prostitutes. Sorry to say but this is a fact which I have experienced in my life. Hypothetically, not only Baloch but many nations still do the same as Baloch did before 5 or 10 years. Surprisingly, there is still a substantial number of people who do not let their females use phones, capture pictures, vlogging for a lot. To be honest, my family does not allow and they should not allow it because Islam, our religion, does not allow it. Here one must note that Islam does not allow doing bad things, therefore we should not let our girls do guilty things but they should be allowed to do things that can lead to success and betterment. My dear readers, we all should know that God gives equal rights to people be women or men they have the same position in God’s eyes. Accordingly, we should obey God’s command. We should let females live the way they want but before we should acknowledge whether their work is satisfactory or not. I think this is the time to accept that females are not less. They can also serve the nation. We should not limit their potential just because our ancestors have done it for centuries. With time, we can observe that time is changing, emotions are changing, circumstances are changing, and people’s minds are changing. Somehow they are accepting the change. Perhaps, they have come to know that being adaptive is a sign of leaders that leads to development. Undoubtedly, if a nation Baloch or others wants growth and advancement, it should be adaptive, it should change according to the environment and circumstances. With time, we can observe that females are taking a great part in social media and are earning money by gaining an audience. In the last two years, the number of Baloch females has been increasing on social media. Now, we can see many Baloch females active. Social media platforms, especially Instagram and YouTube were seeking out their future. One thing that I have observed is that vlogging is more common among the females of Balochistan. However, female vloggers are still belittled and seen by bad eyes in entire Balochistan. There are no more vloggers than 10 in all of the province. Therefore, almost all these vloggers have a large audience due to the poor competition. The most famous and first female vlogger of Gwadar, Balochistan is Anita Jalil who faced the hardships and backbiting of the people. People had no satisfactory thoughts about her but we all should accept that she is a leader who did not think about the people. She is a mind changer who does not leave her dreams as many others do instead she fought against and won the hearts of thousands of Baloch people. She is not one of the most popular social media activists but she is the most popular one who has more than 960k followers on Facebook, more than 168k followers on Instagram, and more than 24k subscribers on YouTube. She possesses the most followers in the province. Besides, she is an actress who starred in one of the best films about females “Baloch Abad” which was directed and written by Shakir Shad, a very famous director in the province.

The people are growing very fast, their place is growing on the internet Secondly, look at these people now. Most of the time in Balochistan, if I look, I can find a female blogger. They were the ones who made their way according to their varieties. We all should know that successful nations and people are not limited to any norm or boundary. They are limitless and adaptive. Therefore, to be successful, one must be limitless. This is modern age where many things have become common. Participating in social media is undeniably a culture. According to some elderly people, every single person is connected to the internet whether he has his counts or not but is connected to social media unwillingly. In simple words, almost everyone wants and is taking part in digital life. There is no shame in making fans and gaining an audience. But here in Balochistan, it is equal to death to go viral on social media for a girl. A female can not take part in social media because of the mindset of people. But, some dreamers are not affected. They are unstoppable. They are confronting the narrow-minded people. There is no one to deny that vlogging is growing very fast. People are liking them a lot, as well as the vloggers who create videos, are also more interested in creating what they are. This is astonishing to know that the number of vloggers in Balochistan is increasing day by day as compared to other social media recreations. There could be many reasons behind this. Perhaps, they are encouraged by other bloggers who have gained a great audience through vlogging, or perhaps the beauty of Balochistan compels the residents to create videos and then show them to the world. Unfortunately, in most places of ​​Balochistan after facing countless troubles still, many females are socially active and are doing great work on social media platforms, especially YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook where they create videos relating to their wills. There is no proper internet in Balochistan. But still, these creators are neither comprised by the harsh conditions of the province nor the rude behavior of people could spoil their visions. They work hard. They live in the media and have become famous among Baloch. They are a source of encouragement and hope for other females. This is a fact that Balochistan has been a victim of serious indispositions and catastrophes. There is nothing except fertile land but a poor population in Balochistan. There is nothing except pain and discomfort. Nevertheless, this province has attracted not only other people belonging to Pakistan but also the world. A large number of YouTubers visit Balochistan and enjoy it a lot. Perhaps, that is why the number of bloggers is increasing in the province.

 

By: Parveez Moula Baksh 

Malir Karachi