Devolution is bringing no cheers for 6.5 million impoverished people of Balochistan. While the nazims of 26 district governments trade charges and counter charges with MMA-dominated government in Quetta, this largest province of Pakistan endowed with richest natural resources continues to remain backward and primitive.
Groaning under a severe financial strain and drought conditions that have hit hard almost all the 26 districts and turned lush green fruit orchards into barren fields, Balochistan is ending the fiscal year 2002-03 on a grim note and looking the year 2003-04 with fear and uncertainty.
Implementation of a Rs29.7 billion budget that included a Rs8.5 billion development component for the current fiscal year remained a difficult task for the provincial government till end of the year. Paucity of funds and squandering of whatever little funds come is a perpetual condition in Balochistan. This fiscal year, the situation has become all the more complex with induction of district governments and town committees.
The Balochistan government has asked for Rs 3 billion funds from Islamabad to finance its development budget and meet other requirements. The ministers are bitter that the provincial government is being asked to remain content with the funds being made available under the 1997 NFC formula. Chief Minister Jam Yusuf, otherwise a pliable and Islamabad friendly Baloch, has on more than one occasion said that the federal government had not provided due share of funds to his province.
Since the resources are being given on the basis of population, nazims of a few districts and towns in Balochistan have demanded a fresh census in their respective areas.
The only consolation for Balochistan is the development of Gwadar port and ancillary projects that have all the potential of turning the fortune of the people of Mekran. The construction of the first phase of the port is going ahead on a fast track and there are indications that Gwadar will become operational by the end of 2004.
The ancillary projects of Gwadar that are Coastal Highway and a road to link this port with Chaman have also been taken up. A first meeting of the Pakistan-Afghanistan joint committee was held in Kabul recently to discuss linking Kabul with Kandhar and then upto Chaman and set up necessary infrastructure offices. But then all is not well. On May 23 a number of political parties gave a strike call in Mekran division because what they believe local population is being ignored in all this development work. Mekran has the highest number of literate Balochs and is the only area where one finds middle class people with professional qualifications and small businessmen. The nationalist feelings are very strong in this division where Gwadar and other ports are located. As reports suggest the people in Gwadar, Turbat and other towns in Mekran responded to the strike call. These parties are now gearing up to organise a province-wide strike on economic and political issues that affect Balochs and Pashtuns equally. This strike may coincide with the presentation of the budget.
Political leaders in Balochistan, whether in government or in opposition, Balochs or Pashtuns are bitter with Islamabad. The entire country has benefited from Sui gas. But Balochs are not even 1 per cent of Sui gas consumers. For the last many years Balochistan government has raised the issue of reduction in its share of royalty and excise on gas and oil. Last year the Balochistan government had demanded the formation of a permanent committee that should include representatives of all those provinces from where oil and gas are being exploited commercially. They want that all gas and oil companies should submit their annual and six monthly accounts to this committee so that exact potential of oil and gas generation of each province could be worked out.
These are all signs of growing mistrust between Islamabad and Quetta. The Balochs and Pashtuns have their complaints and they want Islamabad to address their issues. If this lingers on and Islamabad remains indifferent there is all the possibility that bitterness may turn into hostility and what not.—SG