Undeveloped Balochistan needs good governance
Undeveloped Balochistan needs good governance
Editorial
Editorial

Balochistan the largest province of Pakistan have oil, Gas, Reco Diq, coal and natural mineral resources but this province is still undeveloped and people in Balochistan does not have any facility in their areas.

Balochistan the largest province of Pakistan have oil, Gas, Reco Diq, coal and natural mineral resources but this province is still undeveloped and people in Balochistan does not have any facility in their areas.

Federation, different multinational companies, ministers and bureaucrats have got benefits from Balochistan’s national resources. Several mega projects have started in Balochistan but these projects could not change anything in rural areas of this province, resources were looted by federation and noting was given to poor Balochistan.

In somehow, due to some political rifts among political parties in this province, several Provincial governments were responsible for undeveloped Balochistan but past federal governments are more responsible for undeveloped Balochistan. The Federal government has used the natural resources of this province but nothing was given in returns to this larger province for its development, no one ready to admit that who is responsible for whole situation of this undeveloped Balochistan.

Despite being rich-mineral wealth, Balochistan remains the poorest province in terms of its people with more than 62 per cent of its rural population living below the poverty line.

The poorest district-is Washuk in Balochistan at 72.5 percent. Much of this variation reflected differences in poverty across provinces. The vast majority of the 40 poorest districts were in Balochistan.

The province is deliberately ignored and denied legitimate right for economic development or share in fruits of massive development with the fellow citizens of Pakistan for 70 years.

According to independent economists, Sui gas worth over 300 billion US dollar was used in both the developed provinces since 1954. In case of Gwadar there is virtually zero investment when the first phase of Gwadar Port was complete with Chinese loan. The other components of the so called CPEC is a technical training centre, upgrading the local hospital and building the Eastbay connecting Gwadar Port with the Coastal Highway.

On contrary, many other entrenched social, political and economic issues, governance is really a daunting challenge that Balochistan faces for the past many decades.

The executive in Balochistan is concerned it is run through the machinery of public administration. Unfortunately, the public administration apparatus in Balochistan has some serious issues that, if left unaddressed, would result in nothing but failure of the current government to ensure a semblance of even good governance.

Provincial bureaucracy is notorious for its inefficiency, damning slow procedures of work, rad-tapism and corruption. One of the reasons for this dilemma is lack of will for a transition to e-administration and digital service delivery.

The mafias which exist within the public sector have established their supremacy over the government employments, perks and privileges through unfair promotions based on annually confidential reports, whereas the world has moved to a more efficient digital system of correspondent and promotions to the employees on annual performance report. Majority of the top-slot officers who occupy offices through promotion are ineligible for the very positions they occupy.

The tradition was discarded since 1990s as Allies or party Ministers were given both the portfolios minimizing the importance of good governance and awareness of the masses about the Government activities in various fields. We suggest that they all should be sent for further training and attend course at the national Administrative institutions so that they should be merged with the Provincial Civil Service of Balochistan and their carrier is defended.

The poverty is destined to increase further with these negative economic policies for the Baloch Mainland.

Balochistan government should prepare a check and balance policy to monitor the utalisation of development funds which was provided to MPAs for development schemes in their locality, in case if any of the political leader use these allocated funds for their own sake, the government should take strict action to the relevant leader, this act of the provincial government could promote transparency and would highlights the good governance in the Province.