Bleak realities amidst immense challenges

The last of the provinces to announce its budget, Balochistan revealed a Rs956 billion surplus budget last week. The budget may aim to address persistent socio-economic issues while setting the stage for sustainable development in one of the country’s most resource-rich yet neglected areas. However, the challenges it faces are substantially bigger than those of other provinces. Literacy crisis At Rs126bn for education, Balochistan is allocating 13pc of its budget to address various concerns at different levels of studies. This is up from Rs88.5bn last year which was about 12pc of its budget in FY24. According to the Pakistan Economic Survey released earlier this month, Balochistan has the lowest literacy rate in the country at 54.5 per cent. Gross enrollment rates for girls in matric are a staggering low level of 21pc — eight out of 10 girls in Balochistan are not enrolled at matric levels.