In light of political, social and cultural values, Balochistan province is far from development. Since the creation of Pakistan, the province has suffered from disparities of various kinds. Public sector departments like education and health constantly bear the brunt of the authorities’ negligence.
The population of the province, which lacks facilities, has become hostile to the political elites of Balochistan and other developed provinces such as Punjab. This hatred of other provinces created ethnic apartheid in the country. In addition, natural resources including human resources can lift the poor socio-economic conditions of the province and the country.
From the very beginning, the Balochs have borne the brunt of political elites and ethnic problems, resulting in high unemployment, poor health infrastructure and low-quality education. in the country. Currently, Balochistan province has the highest unemployment rate in the country at over 4 per cent. The lack of job opportunities in Balochistan makes the youth of the province more vulnerable compared to other provinces. Due to this unemployment, BS (Chemical Engineering) student ‘Nazar Muhammad’ lost his life in June 2019 and was burnt alive on the Kech highway while transporting oil illegally to earn his livelihood.
Moreover, health facilities paint a grim picture of the province. Due to poor budget allocation, lack of funds and biased behaviour of political parties towards the people of the province, the situation of the province has worsened. According to one estimate, there is only 1 doctor for every 7,300 people in Balochistan. Likewise, in the field of education, the provincial government has not done anything yet. The situation can be gauged by the figures which tell us that only 29 per cent of the female and 40 per cent of the male population go to school and 66 per cent of the children work as child labour. All this illustrates the grim situation of the province.
Baloch province has 5.94 per cent of the country’s population, i.e. 13 million, and is also the largest province of Pakistan by area. It has a total area of 347,190 km2, 43% of the total area, which contains a huge amount of natural resources such as mineral deposits and human resources. If these resources are fully utilized in the true sense and spirit, the poor socio-economic conditions of the province and the entire of Pakistan can be eliminated. Natural resources in the province include gold, copper, oil, precious stones, chromite and natural gas. It also has a 750 km long ocean coastline that runs along one of the world’s most important sea lanes, the Strait of Hormuz.
Even keeping in mind the sources, it can be said that the prosperity of Pakistan is directly or indirectly linked with the prosperity of Balochistan. A high employment rate or high per capita income will boost the economy, a high literacy rate will bring out intellectuals and state-of-the-art medical facilities will provide a healthy mind along with a healthy body. All these factors will lead to a strong and enthusiastic youth which will result in the economic growth of the country as well as improvement in the standard of living of the people.
By the same token, the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has brought hope for regional uplift. Through the CPEC Special Economic Zones, many investments will come to the region. Electronic, automotive, pharmaceutical and ceramic industries will be employed in the region and the establishment of power plants will overcome the energy shortage in the province and the country. Likewise, the appropriate extraction of natural resources will increase the country’s exports and the subsequent trade will prosper the lifestyle of the local people. Residents also get locally produced products at a very low price.
After considering all the facts, it is evident that the province of Balochistan has been suffering from poor economic conditions since the very beginning. Despite the abundance of natural resources, the Baloch have not received any sensible leadership to uplift the socio-economic conditions of the province. Feudal landlords destroyed the political system of the province. On the other hand, the prosperity of Balochistan ensures the prosperity of Pakistan because of its natural reserves. Although CPEC is playing its role in this regard, a lot of work still needs to be done to uplift the province.
