CSS Current Affairs | Role of Balochistan Provincial Assembly in Addressing Conflict
The following question of CSS Current Affairs is solved by Mohsin Ali under the supervision of Howfiv’s Pakistan Affairs and Current Affairs Coaches. She learnt how to attempt 20 marks question and essay writing from Sir Syed Kazim Ali, Pakistan’s best CSS and PMS English essay and precis teacher with the highest success rate of his students. This solved past paper question is attempted on the pattern taught by Sir to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory and optional subjects for years, and uploaded to help aspirants understand how to crack a topic or question, how to write relevantly, what coherence is, and how to include and connect ideas, opinions, and suggestions to score the maximum.
Outline
1-Introduction
2- What potential does Balochistan have for Pakistan’s progress?
3- A bird eye view of the conflict between the centre and Balochistan
4- The role the Balochistan provincial assembly can play in addressing the conflict
- ✓ Effective use of resources
- ✓ Establishment of local government
- ✓ Socio-economic developments in the province
- ✓ Dialogue-oriented approach
5- Critical analysis
6- Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
Despite being the largest province in the area and richest in resources, Balochistan has been a bleak and backward province of Pakistan. It is the largest province of Pakistan, covering nearly half of the land mass and having the lowest and poorest population in the country. In the northwest, it shares a 723-mile border with Afghanistan and 520 miles in the west; its coastal line accounts for 470 miles with important sea ports like Gwadar. Due to its vital geostrategic location and the resources it possesses, Balochistan is a critically important province for Pakistan. Unfortunately, There has been a state of contention between the centre and the province since its coercive affiliation with Pakistan in 1948 and the conflicts in the 1960s era; therefore, major escalation arose after the assassination of Sardar Akbar Bhugti in 2006. Moreover, the grievances of locals have not been given special assistance from the centre, and the grievances have changed into nationalist and separatist movements, posing a serious challenge to the country’s peace and stability. Thus, there is a dire need to take fruitful steps to prevent this conflict from shaping into an East Pakistan-type conflict.
What potential does Balochistan have for Pakistan’s progress?
Balochistan is a phenomenally important province of Pakistan. Coming towards its location, it is a prime geostrategic location opposite the strait of Hormuz, making it a gateway to one of the world’s largest oil trade routes, and it already has a deep water Gwadar port at the mouth of the CPEC. Moreover, it shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan and maps a trade route towards landlocked countries. Going further, it is bestowed with huge mineral resources like oil, gas, copper, and coal. One of the biggest copper resources was explored in Reku Diq Chaghi. It also has a long coastal line that accounts for 800 km, and it is a resource for fisheries and sea explorations. Despite the critical location and excessive resources, the socio-economic status is miserable in the province, and Pakistan, unfortunately, has been unable to unlock these key resources because of the high frustration present between the centre and the province.
A bird’ eye view of the conflict between the centre and Balochistan
In a historical view, the conflict between Pakistan and its province, Balochistan, stems from its accession at the time of partition. Under the British crown, Balochistan consisted of four states: Lasbela, Makran, Kharan, and Kalat, under the Khan of Kalat’s rule. At the time of partition, after some successive meetings with Quad e Azam, Khan of Kalat signed the agreement to join Pakistan as an independent sovereign state. As Khan of Kalat showed reluctance towards accession, the Pakistan army invaded Balochistan. After the coercive accession, the Balochistan people have been ill-treated by the government; as a result, there have been continuous insurgencies in the 1960s and 1970s. Major escalation was seen after the assassination of Baloch Sardar Akbar Bhugti, a popular Baloch leader, in 2006 by the then government. Throwing salt in the wound, foreign agencies are playing their part by triggering anti-state temptations in the locals and funding militant groups like BLA Balochistan Liberation Army and BLF Balochistan Liberation Front. For instance, incarcerated Kalbhoshan Yadav, an Indian spy, was found in conspicuous activities in the province. In addition, sentiments of deprivation, lack of socio-economic progress, and low literacy rates have exacerbated the nationalist movements; as a result, the aggressive reaction by the government in the form of extrajudicial killing and the increasing number of missing persons have fuelled the fire. Thus, the ongoing disputes are not being addressed well by the government, making the condition worse. So, there is a need for some serious initiatives by the centre to take the people of Balochistan in confidence.
The role the Balochistan provincial assembly can play in addressing the conflict.
- Effective use of resources
After the formation of the first legislative assembly in Balochistan, there was a shortage of financial assistance for the province until the imposition of the 7th NFC ( National Finance Commission) in 2009. The NFC award provides billions of rupees to the province, taking into account the population and development needs. Therefore, the government of Balochistan acquired more resources and capital, and it needed to allocate them properly. Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Assessment(PEFA) found that most of the budget is consumed on employee-related expenses, maintenance expenditures are limited, and the accountability mechanism is poor. To meet the needs of the developments and to change the socio-economic condition, the Government of Balochistan (GoB) should organize the budget effectively with regard to development in the public sector. Increasing accountability, allocating funds to local governments, and developing well-planned fiscal policies can change the status quo of the locals.
- Establishment of local governments
The Balochistan Local Government Act 2010 obliged the GoB to establish local government to devolve powers and development funds to the ground level. The pathway towards inclusive development and the increased participation of the local people in decision-making can only be made possible through the empowerment of local governments. The local governments should be given 10 per cent of resources, as mentioned in the 18th Amendment, to infuse more resources into common people. Constitution Article 140-A compels the provincial assembly to conduct local government elections so that the grievances of the people can be answered.
- Socio-economic development in Balochistan
An important reason behind the problems of the Balochistan people is illiteracy, making them vulnerable to being used by Sardars with feudalistic ideologies and foreign agencies that are trying their best to make the conditions worse between the centre and the province. According to the report by UNICEF, 59% of the population is illiterate. Therefore, the first initiative in human development should start with reforms in the education system, especially access to vocational and technical education, so that more local people get job opportunities in CPEC projects. Moreover, basic facilities like health facilities, local transport, and security should be given priority, and the natural resources of the province must be fully utilized for the development of local people. Thus, the only way to build trust of the people is to make them more developed.
- Dialogue oriented approach
Balochistan has been in a state of conflict since the partition, and they have not been given significant attention to solving the insecurity issues of Balochis. In this regard, successive governments have tried to solve the issues through the use of force. Unfortunately, the rise of insurgencies and separatist movements has been seen with every attempt at coercive solutions by security forces. To solve this conflict, GoB should bring the leaders of the militant groups to the table for dialogue, and the contemporary issues of extrajudicial killings and missing persons must be addressed in mutual talks. An appropriate way to tackle this solution is to reform the surrender policy with more incentives and proper security for the militants who surrender. Moreover, the root causes behind the insurgences must be given special attention to avoid further mismanagements. As agitation was evoked recently by the local fishermen against illegal fishing of trawlers, these issues should be nipped in the bud by fulfilling the demands of demonstrates.
Critical Analysis
Geostrategic location and rich resources have made Balochistan crucially important for the country’s national security and economic development. Balochistan Assembly has been given substantial autonomy in major affairs and financial assistance under the NFC award. The need is to utilize all the resources for the development of people to raise patriotic sentiments in the local population of the country. In addition, security issues must be addressed through negotiations between the government of Balochistan and the national movement leaders; aggressive military operations by the state are not a sustainable solution to this conflict. Thus, the Balochistan Assembly can play a major role in building trust between the state and the population of the province and in engaging the armed groups in mutual talks with security forces.
Conclusion
Balochistan is the most underdeveloped province in the country, and it has a number of issues like poor socio-economic development and fragile security. Although many attempts have been made by the federal government to turn the province into a developed region, the role of the Balochistan government can be more fruitful in optimizing the use of given resources and negotiating with the armed nationalists. Effective use of resources, the establishment of local governments, and table talks with militants are some corrective measures to address the hostilities between the state and the province. In conclusion, good democracy and governance practices can develop trust between the province and the state.
CSS Solved Past Papers’ Essays
Looking for the last ten years of CSS and PMS Solved Essays and want to know how Sir Kazim’s students write and score the highest marks in the essays’ papers? Then, click on the CSS Solved Essays to start reading them.
CSS Solved Essays
CSS Solved General Science & Ability Past Papers
Want to read the last ten years’ General Science & Ability Solved Past Papers to learn how to attempt them and to score high? Let’s click on the link below to read them all freely. All past papers have been solved by Miss Iqra Ali & Dr Nishat Baloch, Pakistan’s top CSS GSA coach having the highest score of their students.
General Science & Ability Solved Past Papers
