In the arid expanses of Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, a storm of violence has erupted, laying bare a ‘resource curse’ that has plagued the region for generations.
Packed with vast reserves of natural gas, copper, gold, coal, seafood riches, and a coastline of immense geopolitical value, Balochistan should be thriving. Instead, it lags as Pakistan’s poorest in human development, a stark irony underscored in a new investigative report.
The province’s Sui gas fields have long fueled national industry, but locals endure chronic blackouts, contaminated water, subpar schools, and crumbling health services.
Exacerbating this are sky-high joblessness rates—particularly hitting graduates—coupled with marginalization from policy decisions and a pervasive feeling of disenfranchisement from the Pakistani project.
Resource plundering persists amid endless security crackdowns, yet promises of grand infrastructure remain unfulfilled, breeding resentment.
Alamdar Hussain Malik, in an op-ed for expatriate-focused Tarkeen-e-Watan, cuts through the noise: these assaults aren’t sporadic terror but manifestations of a decades-old political feud between Balochistan and Islamabad.
Post-independence rebellions have recurred, driven by broken pledges on autonomy and rights.
Today’s insurgents are evolving, using attacks to demand political bargaining chips, fair economic shares, and systemic changes—signaling a maturing narrative.
While all violence merits outright rejection, reducing the turmoil to policing misses the political chasm at its core.
Pakistan’s leaders have consistently securitized Balochistan, ramping up military presence after each flare-up rather than engaging root causes.
True resolution lies in recognizing the political dimensions, fostering inclusive governance, and channeling the province’s wealth back to its people.