Speakers at a roundtable discussion on Wednesday demanded an equitable resource redistribution mechanism for the people of Balochistan so that public grievances and issues of under development could be redressed.
The roundtable’s discussion on ‘Potential of Natural Resources and State of Various Agreements in Balochistan’, was jointly organised by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Action Aid Pakistan.
The discussion was part of a series of government-civil society consultations on issues raised and addressed in the Balochistan reforms package. The objective of the dialogue was to lobby for effective implementation of the promises made in the rights package.
They criticised the apathy shown by the government towards the exploitation of resources in Balochistan. They alleged that the government had leased out some major Balochi resources to foreign companies whereas the share of the Balochistan provincial government in revenue collection was next to nothing. They claimed the revenue-allocation mechanisms for major mining projects like Saindak were a sham, as the provincial government of Balochistan was entitled to a mere two percent of the total revenue collection.
Atle Hetland, a Norwegian social scientist currently working in Pakistan explained that Norway and other Scandinavian countries had set some good examples as far as agreement on local natural resources was concerned. He said one could learn a lot from these “good practices” and this would help alleviate concerns and apprehensions of the affected people.
The speakers were also critical of the handling of the Koh e Dalil gold reserves which were leased out to an Australian company. They alleged that the terms and conditions agreed upon during the lease out process did not at all work for the benefit of the people of Balochistan and on the contrary, their resources are being exploited by the federal government and international leasing companies.
The participants of the conference, including Sungi Development Foundation Director Programs Sheikh Asad Rehman and Drought Recovery System Planning Commission of Pakistan National Programme Director Naseer Gillani, asked the government to develop the fishing industry in Balochistan so that more financial resources could be generated and harnessed. They demanded the suspension of fishing licenses issued to multinational fishing contractors who bring in heavy trawlers and sweep away all the fishing resource from Pakistan’s waters and leave the local Baloch fishermen high and dry.
