Balochistan budget

A deficit budget like the federal budget and those of the other provinces, the Balochistan budget comes at a time of heightened political tension in the province. The Balochistan problem is easy to discuss in that there seems to be a unity of opinion on this front, as opposed to the problem of militancy in the NWFP and FATA. In the latter, there are differing views across the different contours of the polity and government, with voices of negotiation conflicting with those advocating a military-backed eradication of the miscreants. In Balochistan, however, the nation's body politic, if not the establishment, is of the view that all it takes is a lot of cash pumped in with good intentions. That would be oversimplifying it, of course; the parameters of the aid need to be dealt with as does the issue of how to handle correctly (pacify or punish?) those who have picked up arms. The basic idea, however, isn't far from the truth.
But if it is indeed an issue of a healthy dose of development, then the province really does have a long way to go. Last year, as this paper reported, the development budget of the Capital Development Authority was more than the development budget of Balochistan. The argument there would be not to bring down CDA's development but drag up that of our smallest province. But that is easier said than done, others could argue, there isn't enough fiscal space to dole out. And there is a point there; there are other underdeveloped areas in the country as well. Would the Baluch sardars deign to look at the low level of development in southern Punjab, the province that has come to symbolize the usurper in their world-view?