Balochistan which is a largest province of Pakistan in terms of area and smallest in in terms of population. It is rich in mineral wealth, its coastal location is very important and a great natural harbor is also present in this province. In this article, I am going to share with you Is Balochistan an assets for Pakistan or a burden? I try to prove that Balochistan is an important assets for Pakistan in the following lines.
Balochistan as Pakistan’s Asset
Logically, Balochistan should be the most developed province of Pakistan, because in our country, everything is usually done against logic, that’s why Balochistan is economically backward and the worst poverty is found here. At this time, the way the rains have destroyed it, why has Balochistan been left behind in the race of development of all of us?
There are several reasons for this. However, there is no doubt that its mineral wealth and coastline and the port of Gwadar, which should have played a major role in its development, have become the center of attraction for many powerful elements. Wherever there is mineral wealth and a port in an excellent location, there is usually investment that is a source of prosperity for the people. This is not the case in Balochistan.
Some powers want to use its mineral resources only for their own benefit and there are some regional powers who see Balochistan as a thorn in their side because its development is not in the interest of a few Gulf countries.
If Balochistan becomes peaceful and the process of development starts here, then this province will become a big center of business, trade and tourism. This is the reason why some powers and their allies inside the country do not want to let this province become the center of global and regional trade.
Therefore, it is in their interest to keep Balochistan suffering from instability. Immediately after independence, crises were brewing here and the province was never allowed to calm down. Whether it was a military dictatorship or a semi-democratic civilian government, Balochistan has faced problems in every era.
During the civilian period, efforts were made to remove the deprivation and anxiety found in this province, but they could not prove sustainable and long-lasting. Due to the long process of persuasion by force instead of dialogue, the situation has become complicated today.
This province, suffering from punishment and problems, has come under the influence of natural calamity these days. Due to climate change, the terrible floods caused by unexpected and unusual rains, which have affected the entire Balochistan except a few districts, are rarely seen in history.
What saddens the heart is that no attention has been paid to the devastation caused by rains and floods in Balochistan. We didn’t bother to do anything until the situation got very bad and the international media reported about it. No one cared about the suffering of the people of this province.
Whether they have access to food and clean drinking water or not, what is the plight of the elderly, children and sick people, in what agony and destitution they are in? Power has its own priorities, government is struggling to save itself, political and economic crises have created emergency situations.
In such a situation, the local administration is also half-heartedly performing its duties. When Pakistan came into existence in 1947, West Pakistan was 70 percent richer than East Pakistan, and today Bangladesh is 45 percent richer than Pakistan. There was a reduction in poverty, and per capita income. has increased.
Our situation is the opposite. These are just a few statistics that are meant to show how much of an asset we thought was a burden. This attitude should not be taken about Balochistan. Today’s reality should be accepted that only the power of democracy can keep the units of federal states united.
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