The premise of this article underlines the failure of the State, over the decades, to provide basic human needs to the people in Baluchistan and the Merged Areas of KP. The obvious cause has been the continuous absence of effective political-administrative governance at different levels. An alternate, not-for-profit public-private support model, promises to provide the basic needs to the people promptly and at a low cost. This would assist in improving security and human resource development besides generating all-round goodwill. The proposed programme would not affect other Government policies.
Sadly, in Pakistan today nearly half the population is denied essential living needs resulting in low Human Development Indices; the situation in Baluchistan and the Merged Areas of KP is much worse. Human dignity, even more than poverty alleviation, would remain compromised till primary education, health-hygiene needs, drinking water-sanitation facilities and technical training are available for all. Providing these facilities would simultaneously tackle the country’s most serious problem which, unarguably, is the unsustainable high population growth rate at 2 percent plus.
A data check confirms the poor statistics for Baluchistan; the situation in the Merged Areas of KP is just as pathetic. While the country's Human Development Index (HDI) stands at a low of 0.56 in Baluchistan, it is more dismal at 0.42. The constitutional Articles 25 and 37 among others have ceased to matter.
In Pakistan those in the Multi-dimensional poor bracket (Education, Health, Living standards) comprise an average of 40% of the people. In Baluchistan the percentage is as high as 70% while in KP it is 48%, in Sind about 45% and in Punjab 30%. Poverty at US $ 3.2 per day affects over 25% of the population which rose by 7% in 2024 (WB).
Paradoxically, it appears that the financial resources available for Baluchistan are quite sufficient to plug these deficiencies. Sadly, problems arise due to biased project selection, heavily leaking funds, poor contract management, and ineffective monitoring. These matters remain unaddressed. Above all, there is the misappropriation of allocated funds, reportedly amounting to nearly half the allocation both in the Secretariat and the Districts. The sense of deprivation among the people is obvious. During the fiscal year 2024-25 Baluchistan has a surplus budget with a total outlay of Rs 956 billion. The Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) at Rs 220 billion could have a useful impact if good governance practices prevailed. (Federal transfers: Rs 726 billion; Provincial own receipts Rs 124 billion). The situation is similar in the Merged Areas.
In Baluchistan, 52% of people are unable to send children to school for various reasons. The literacy ratio overall is reportedly 45% but for rural women it is only 10%
Education and Training
Pakistan’s literacy rate for those 10 years and above is 57% (male 69% and female 45%). The gap between Urban (74%) and rural areas (48%) remains high. In Baluchistan, 52% of people are unable to send children to school for various reasons. The literacy ratio overall is reportedly 45% but for rural women it is only 10%. In Baluchistan alone, 78 percent of girls are reportedly out of school. The Ghost Schools estimate is a high of 5000. The soaring unemployment (which leads to undesirable activities) could be mitigated by providing crash vocational diplomas and technical training courses. In the Merged Areas of KP, the literacy ratio is only 33%, with female literacy at just 13%.
Health and Hygiene
In the health sector, the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in Pakistan remains high at 186 deaths per 100,000 live births while in Baluchistan it is even higher at 298.
The Infant Mortality Rate in Pakistan is 62 deaths per 1,000 live births while it is 66 in Baluchistan (Some surveys report 97 deaths per 1000 births). The under-five mortality rate (U5MR) is 74 per 1,000 live births. Health experts say that nearly 44 percent of Pakistani children under five years are stunted due to chronic malnutrition.
Water and Sanitation
Thirdly, in Pakistan only 32% of households use piped drinking water as their main source, with a higher percentage in urban areas (58%) compared to rural areas (19%). Nearly half the population has no access to basic sanitation. The situation in Baluchistan is far lower. The majority (57.5%) of children are at high risk from water and sanitation-related risks.
The following proposal is based on the premise that a different approach is required to bring the HDI of Baluchistan and the Merged Areas within five years at par with countries like Iran, Turkey and Malaysia. Matters of human resource development can no longer be left to the State alone or we could be struggling with similar statistics for another century.
Three basic steps are required:
1) All villages/habitations where basic education, health, and piped water/sanitation, solar power facilities do not exist or are severely deficient would as of right be entitled to these facilities within five years. The private sector and philanthropists be brought on board with the Government. In view of their inability to transform the social sector an innovative program involving the Village Community organisations may be the only way out. Therefore existing ‘Line Departments’ both at the Secretariat and the ‘Field’ would not be involved with the site selection, construction, and allocation or release of the funds; the Community itself would be responsible for this. The Government departments would however, continue to maintain the existing assets as before. To avoid corrupt practices and illegal commissions the selection of sites for schools, dispensaries/hospitals, water supply, and sewerage projects would be left to the Community Organisations of the villages. Where ever feasible the construction contracts must also be provided to the local area contractors for local wealth circulation. Such programmes worked efficiently in Gilgit-Baltistan in the past.
2) The Line Departments should be replaced in Baluchistan and Merged Areas by two lean and well-structured organisations, similar to the prevalent Rural Support Organisations. These would consist of a Provincial Steering Committee headed by reputable individuals. The Steering Committees would be responsible for project planning, evaluation and release of funds operating through a District Implementation Teams. The DITs would be responsible for the identification, construction, and most importantly, the maintenance and repairs of the projects through the collection of user charges. Each Village Community would collect and utilise these charges themselves. Such a programme would generate much goodwill among the people towards the donors and the State as happened in Gilgit-Baltistan earlier.
3) The programme should be funded from the US $ 62 billion CPEC funds because the poor and deprived people of these two regions have an even higher claim on CPEC resources. An amount of US $ 3.00 billion for Baluchistan and US $ 2.00 for the Merged Areas would allow the people to finally enter into the twenty-first century. The Baluchistan and KP governments would provide additional funds from their Annual Development Programme as well. The success of the program would result in improving security for the people and goodwill towards the State and its partners. The Auditor General of Pakistan would continue to audit and monitor the funds reporting to the Public Accounts Committee.