Despite being rich in natural resources and having a strategically important coastline, Balochistan remains ignored, left vulnerable like a bareheaded baby in the cold.
According to reports, more than half of the province’s households live below the poverty line, and more than 70% experience multidimensional poverty. Millions of children are not attending school, infrastructure is deteriorating and literacy rates are significantly lower than in other provinces, with girls’ matriculation rates being particularly low. This disparity is exacerbated by poor governance and economic mismanagement. Fiscal autonomy is severely hampered by inefficient budget utilisation and reliance on federal transfers, while resources taken from Balochistan do not result in local development.
In addition to impeding business and investment, political upheaval and insecurity — exemplified by frequent insurgent attacks and even mobile data shutdowns — also reflect longstanding complaints about resource sharing and political marginalisation. Balochistan often lags behind in global benchmarks such as human development indices, highlighting the interconnected loop of persistent instability, economic marginalization and inadequate education that deprives the province of its protective cap.
Arif Jan
Awaran
