Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry presented inaccurate figures of funds given to Balochistan in the last 10 years. Speaking in the Upper House, the minister claimed that the Rs42 trillion had been given to carry out development work in the neglected Balochistan province over the last decade.

The federal minister was trying to make a point in the Senate on Nov 14 – that a considerable sum of money had been given to Balochistan and government in the last 10 years had wasted it. The figure he quoted of Rs 42 trillion turned out to be incorrect.

According to official figures, Pakistan’s total budget in the last 10 years has been at Rs36.06 trillion while according to Chaudhry, funds given to Balochistan were amounted to Rs42 trillion. Since 2009 Federal government has transferred Rs 1.473 Trillion to Balochistan province under all forms of federal transfers. The amounts received by Balochistan were its share in federal divisible pool and not loans or grants provided by the Government in Centre. The war of words inside parliament between government representatives and opposition figures is threatening to spiral out of control, and senior figures on both sides ought to intervene to restore order and put the business of parliament back on track.

There will be no impact in the relations between the Centre and the Province by increasing a couple of seats. It is an undeniable fact that the chosen representatives from Balochistan failed to come to the right expectations of the people of this ignored province. At the top political level, the services of the most unscrupulous people were used “in the interests of State”, a cover for patronizing corruption, loot and plunder.

Kachhi Canal is a living symbol of insensitivity of the rulers and officials at the top, both at the Federal and Provincial level, allowing all concerned to indulge in loot and plunder and with their both hands. Overwhelming majority of aliens and officers from other provinces who were found to be corrupt and they came to Balochistan to make a big fortune or mint huge wealth by misusing their official powers and authority. Petty functionaries who came from other provinces returned with lakhs of rupees, the middle cadre officials minted tens of millions or crores and senior officers billion. Corruption was rampant and open in Balochistan and under the nose of all concerned including those who are now pretending to be naïve following an explosion of mega scandal of his rule.

On the other hand, demand for the formation of parliamentary commission on corruption in Balochistan should be supported at every level. There is a need to fight rampant corruption in all fields so that the development funds should directly benefit the common people in the remotest corners of Balochistan. Balochistan should not have double standard and all the corrupt and dishonest people should be treated at par under the law and powerful and influential people should stop defending the corrupt and the dishonest in the interest of justice.

It is also the responsibility of provincial government to play a key role in the investigation and hopefully the heads of commissions should be appointed through a process that ensures independence, impartiality, neutrality, integrity, apolitical stance and competence to investigate the corruption in the province.