The economic strangulation

By Dj mathal

 
The Northern Areas Legislative Assembly (NALA) had approved a Rs5.56 billion development budget for the fiscal year 2008-09. This amount was slated to be utilized for development projects in the region including construction and renovation of school buildings, upgradation, repair of existing roads and construction of new ones; establishment of power houses by exploiting the huge indigenous resources of the area to resolve the shortage of electricity. Besides, a good amount of money had also been set aside for creating job opportunities to end unemployment among the youth. To provide proper health care facilities, there was also a plan to upgrade hospitals and provide them with needed staff and missing facilities including medicines. To check floods which every year destroy huge properties valuing millions of rupees, the budget had also allocated funds. The agriculture sector had also been included in the development budget and funds were set aside to bring barren lands under cultivation to increase productivity and meet the surging demands of the growing population. In short, there were large numbers of promises to bring quantitative and qualitative changes in all sectors of public life including the transport, tourism departments as well as to maintain law and order situation in the region.
However, the federal government despite its tall promises did not fulfill its commitment of releasing the required funds and the development projects could not be executed as plan for the welfare of the over two million people of Gilgit-Baltistan. This is ironic that as the fiscal year is now coming to an end, Islamabad only released 47 per cent of the development funds to the region and that too in two installments.
It may be recalled that the British took over most parts of Asia as well as South Africa in the 19th century and quickly started a plan to bring development to the colonized states keeping in view their cultural and social sensitivities. To perpetuate their rules, they introduced wide-ranging reforms and development in key sectors like education, health, transportation, agriculture and provided employment to the youth. Besides, they also ensured law and order and speedy justice to the masses of these countries. At the time of the departure of the British, there were strong and well organized systems of law, education, health care and transportation.
On the other hand, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan despite having freedom still remain deprived of their basic economic, constitutional and legal rights even after the passage of 61 long years. The rulers have never taken any serious initiative to bring progress to the region and explore its own resources despite passage of over six decades.
Islamabad has been treating the people of this region like its slaves without regards to their rights and identity.
As the announcement of a new budget for the fiscal year 2009-10 approaches, the remaining 53 per cent funds of last year's allocations is feared to remain unspent. As a result, only 13 per cent work on the ongoing development projects in the region have been completed at the end of the fiscal year. The people of the region have been facing lots of problems in getting basic health care facilities, proper education and above all a peaceful environment to live. However, due to the apathy of the rulers towards these issues, public sector development remains the most neglected sector at present and non-release of sanctioned funds is yet another betrayal of the government and is increasing the sense of frustration in the region. Now the PPP government and its local leaders in the region are claiming to bring revolutionary changes in the socio-economic sector in the region by launching welfare projects in the social sector. But how the people of the region will believe their promises when they have miserably failed even to release the funds allocated to the region under the budget.  The so-called public institutions have failed to formulate comprehensive plans to bring improvement in the life of the region and their recent claims have remained as hollow as they have been in the past. We fear, and we have always warned of these fears in the past too, that if the rulers continued their unfriendly attitude with the region, the fragile law and order situation in the region can further deteriorate to the point of no return. Though the present situation cannot be termed ideal, but even then the situation is under control.
Through these lines, we further advise the rulers that instead of making tall claims, they should take practical steps for the development of the region; release the remaining 53 per cent of the development funds for the region so that the current state of despondency and deprivation can be lessened to some extent.  It is in the interest of Pakistan itself to protect the life and property of the common man in the sensitive region of Gilgit-Baltistan. The prime minister of Pakistan, Yousuf Raza Gilani must take action against those who are an impediment in the way of progress and development of Gilgit-Baltistan. And the government should take prompt action in this regard before the situation gets out of control and people of the region rise in revolt for their rights like in Balochistan.