Balochistan has been replete with financial woes from day one. Over the last several years now, and especially since the reports of the country slipping toward default, the financial woes of Balochistan have further compounded to the extent of compelling Chief Minister of Balochistan Abdul Quddoos Bizenjo to boycott the federal budget session and the National Economic Council due to the prevailing economic woes of the province.

Despite the challenges, the provincial government of Balochistan presented a Rs750 billion deficit budget for 2023-24 last week, allocating Rs229bn for thousands of development schemes and increasing the pay and pensions of government employees in line with the federal budget.

Moreover, the government’s revenues in the next fiscal year are estimated at Rs701bn, leaving a deficit of Rs49bn. The outlay of the non-development budget is Rs437bn, and the public sector development programme outlay is Rs229.3bn.

Ever since the arrival of the Bizenjo government, the opposition in the Balochistan assembly has played a friendly role for the first time because their schemes have been included in the budget, and the chief minister’s services have been at their disposal.

Paltry amounts have been allocated to increase employment and improve health and education sector that were affected by last year’s floods

This is why when finance minister Zamarak Khan Achakzai unveiled the budget, there was no uproar. Instead, the assembly members listened to his speech calmly and with interest.

On the other hand, government employees, especially school teachers, were on the road, protesting for an increment in their salaries in the pre-budget period in the wake of price hikes, among other things.

In this regard, the finance minister said the government has increased the salaries of government employees by 35 per cent for those in grades one to 16 and by 30pc for the officers in grades 17 to 22.

In Balochistan, it is interesting to note the state of the education and health sectors has been abysmal. The last year’s torrential rains and floods wreaked havoc in the entire province, giving a big blow to the shambling education and health sectors. For instance, in many places, the schools and basic health centres were destroyed in the wake of the rains and floods.

However, the finance minister proposed a paltry amount of Rs65bn for the health sector and Rs77bn for education, allocated for primary, higher and secondary schools.

Meanwhile, the varsities of the province are facing a financial crunch. So much so that in recent times, they (particularly the oldest one in the province called the University of Balochistan) could not pay the teachers’ salaries for three months. And the crisis is not yet over. However, there was no such mention in the budget to pull these varsities out of trouble.

In Balochistan, unemployment has been an overlooked and ignored issue caused by a lack of economic opportunities. Despite being the least populated country, Balochistan’s issues, including the lack of job prospects for youth, have increased manifold.

It is a good omen that the finance minister said the government would create 4,389 jobs to reduce unemployment in the health and education sectors. But unfortunately, it is a drop in the ocean in the wake of rising unemployment in the province.

Meanwhile, it is an open secret now that jobs in Balochistan are sold these days. It has deprived the youth of their due share and right. Most of the candidates have been appointed through favouritism and nepotism.

Except for government officials, the common people of the province are least bothered about the budget. Like each previous time, they are disappointed that the budget cannot do a little for them.

The masses in Balochistan believe that the budget schemes will solely benefit the ministers who come to the assembly for their vested interests. They argue that the provincial government has been unable to construct the small Pinjran bridge as yet, which was built by the then Britishers and swept away by last year’s floods — what can it do for the development of the province so that its people can be prosperous?

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, June 26th, 2023