ract
This paper aims at exploring the political economy of Balochistan
and the underlying causes of social and economic development of the
province. The paper presents a brief and critical account on the historical
development of the Baloch nation and nationhood. The paper argues that
The Baloch notwithstanding having a huge and resourceful land has failed
to keep the pace of socio-economic development and modernity with other
fellow nations in the region. After the independence of Pakistan and the
formation of Balochistan as a province of Pakistan, the Baloch because of
her political disorganization and economic backwardness failed to exert
herself within the federation to grab the resource share. The story of
economic and social backwardness of the Baloch and Balochistan is a
multifaceted puzzle. A section of the Baloch nationalists believe that the
centralist nature of Pakistani federation is such that small nationalities like
the Baloch would find it hard to accommodate within the federation. That is
because, the resource distribution and representation to both elected bodies
and state institutions are based upon population, and Balochistan in spite of
having 44% of Pakistan territory accommodates only 5% of country’s total
population. The paper also touches the geostrategic importance of
Balochistan and underlines its economic difficulty in terms of the dearth of
human resources, physical infrastructure, economic autonomy, productivity
among others.