Editorial: A balanced federal budget

In the context of Balochistan, the Federal Budget is generally good, balanced catering the need of the backward province of Pakistan. For the first time in more than two decades, Balochistan is getting generous assistance and financial help through the Federal Budget and it had no match for the recent generosity. Hopefully, the share of Balochistan will be more than Rs 110 billions in the next fiscal year as the Federal Government and other three provinces conceded to provide more resources to Balochistan ensuring its speedy development or addressing the deep sense of deprivation both in economic and political terms.

The Government of Balochistan, for the first time, will be able to present a record development budget of about Rs 45 billion—more than double the present development Budget of Balochistan. According to official figures, the Provincial Government had allocated Rs 18. 5 billions for development budget during the current fiscal year. It also included Rs five billions foreign assistance, foreign aid and soft loans from aid giving agencies and friendly countries showing interest in development of Balochistan. The remaining Rs 13.5 billions are being spent from the Provincial resources or the Straight Transfer of resources from the Federal Government to Balochistan. In any case, there will be no such situation for the next fiscal year as the Government will spend Rs 45 billions. Similarly, the non-development expenditure of the Balochistan Government will also have no match as it too would be around Rs 60 billions or more.

The main reason is that the there is a 18^th Amendment in the Constitution granting more powers to the provinces or devolving powers from the Central Government to provinces. Thus there will be more than 36 departments of the Federal Government to be handed over to the Provinces along with assets and liabilities, including the manpower. Thus the Provincial Government will have to leave room to accommodate new Departments in the Provincial Government or ready for administrative expansion in due course of time.

All these are possible because there is a generous Federal Budget in the context of Balochistan that got the right of inverse population growth and additional allocation of resources in terms of attacking and minimizing poverty and the biting backwardness in all sectors of the national life.

Over ten per cent budget had been reserved for backwardness and poverty and around 2.7 per cent for inverse population growth besides the overall share of Balochistan raised to 9.09 per cent from the Divisible Pool sharing resources on horizontal and vertical distribution. According to the seasoned political observers of the Pakistan scene, it was made possible by the most populist political party in power—the PPP—making fair distribution of resources among the provinces ensuring a balanced growth catering the needs of all parts of Pakistan. It is the advantage of the populist political party in power that takes bold decisions besides taking every stake holder on board while taking strategic decision.

More importantly, the President of Pakistan himself suffered for his views and ideas and he never surrendered to the dictates from the dictators in the past and preferred to remain in prison for about a decade. Naturally, a man who suffered such a long time will not commit any injustice to others, people, provinces, communities or ethnic groups. He will be just and fair to all, to say the least. Thus the credit goes to both the President and the Prime Minister for preparing a poor friendly budget catering the needs of the backward provinces and segment of the society.

However, it is up to the Provincial Government of Balochistan how to spend the resources bringing prosperity or wasting it in the personal pockets of the corrupt and dishonest people in power. In any case, the Government of Balochistan should end the day-to-day planning, bringing changes in the Provincial PSDP off and on and on the will of an individual or a small group of individuals to defend the personal petty needs of the powerful people or their constituents. It should not be permissible this time and the huge money or resources transferred from the Federal Government to Balochistan should not go waste.