Balochistan is largest province of the Pakistan, covering 44% of the country’s area, but it has the smallest population, with about 15 million people. Balochistan is a southwestern region of the country, with 40% of its population speaking Balochi, which is the most widely spoken language there. There are eight divisions and thirty-six districts within the province. Nonetheless, the Pashtun belt, which spans about four divisions and twelve districts in northern Balochistan approximately, is home to 34.3% of the speakers of Pashto, the second most common language. A vital route connecting Balochistan to the adjacent regions of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the Pashtun belt. This region, which is abundant in natural resources, is well-known for producing a wide range of fruits and vegetables, particularly dry fruits that are well-known throughout Pakistan and globally.
Farmers in the Pashtun belt confront many obstacles despite the region’s potential for agriculture because the government doesn’t offer enough electricity or other essential support, leaving them mostly dependent on their own resources to maintain their gardens. Apart from its agricultural industry, the Pashtun belt is a significant source of coal, chromite, and marble, but the coal is especially important. Due to the requirement to pay security costs to the army for each ton of coal produced are in the regions of Chamalang, Duki, Quetta and Harnai is Rs1,100and 240 respectively. So the owners of coalmine in these regions bear an additional burden for the sake of security.
The Chaman border is vital to the life of the people living in the Pashtun belt, which has faced tremendous difficulties from the last year. Historically, trading along the border has been essential to the growth of regional employment. The local economy, however, has been severely damaged by the government’s decision to restrict this route, since many people in the area depend on this cross-border trade for their livelihoods. Regretfully, the community is in a challenging situation because the state has not offered assistance or any legal options to people impacted by the shutdown.
The Pashtun belt confronts serious security challenges in addition to its economic difficulties.Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) add a significant layer of complexity to the already volatile situation in Pashtun belts. As the BLA attacks have grown more vicious and indiscriminate violence. Therefore, Insurgency and instability have been directly and indirectly fueled by their (BLA) involvement in thecasualties, disappearances,the burning of vehicles likes cars, trucks, and buses, and the destruction of resources, but in contrast the BLA actions in the Baloch and Brahui regions, where their main targets are Chinese laborers and infrastructure associated with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Additionally, the region has also seen an increase in banditry and robbery, which worsens the security situation. Particularly at night, thieves are focusing more and more on passengers and transit vehicles. According to studies, over one in three people in the area have been impacted by these crimes, which involve stopping buses, cars, and trucks and robbing passengers and seizing items.
It appears that the incompetence and corruption of the security institutes play a major role in the problematic circumstances in the Pashtun belt. These institutions are apparently concentrating on Band-Aid solutions that don’t deal with the underlying issues, rather than taking serious action against the actual security threats and smuggling operations. The local public becomes more frustrated and loses trust when security forces are involved in accepting bribes or enforcing unjust practices in the name of curbing smuggling. Furthermore, if state or local authorities truly want to stop smuggling, they ought to think about more strategic and all-encompassing approaches, like concentrating on the Iran border, where notable smuggling activities have been documented, especially those that go towards Karachi, as recent research from the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) has shown. And the Pashtun belts are also facing dual majoritarian system federally and provincial as well.
The combination of economic disruption due to the border closure and the escalating security threats has created a crisis in the Pashtun belt, with the local population suffering greatly as a result. The state’s failure to address these issues through legal or security measures has only deepened the challenges faced by the community. As well as The Pashtun Belt challenges require a serious and methodical approach from the government. Addressing the insurgency, lowering public fear, and making sure the Pashtun belt in the province gets equal attention and resources as other areas, such as Balochistan in federal system. If the fairness and efficient governance are not provided, these issues will probably continue or get worse.
