Why every national
level project becomes controversial in Pakistan?
Be it the Kalabagh
dam or the CPEC, or any other project of national significance, becomes prey to
inter provincial controversy .All such episodes point to the fault lines in the
very federation of Pakistan. The imbalance between the four federating units of
Pakistan is the core cause of this controversy. The relation among units is not based on the principles of equity
and fair play. Since its very inception grievances among the units grew, and
the separation of Bengladesh is one of its manifestation in the severe form.
The federation of Pakistan is consists of four provinces:
the Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan and Khyber punkhtoonkhwa. Among the four, the
Punjab has the highest population whereas the Baluchistan leads the rest in
terms of area. The Punjab being a province of greater population has a
domineering role in the affairs of the country,and this very disposition of the
Punjab adds to grievances of the other units.
Being representing 51% population of the country, Punjab is
entitled to a greater share in the NFC award, Public services, and
representation in the parliament (national assembly). The key slots in the
civil as well as military services are filled by those come from the Punjab,
and being representative of a higher number of population it is also entitled
to a higher number of seats in the National Assembly which in most cases gives
advantage to form the government
dominated by people form the Punjab atop this setup. And even in
case of martial law the affairs are again dominated by those from the larger
province .In such circumstances all the developments are viewed by the smaller
provinces with doubts and they feel themselves marginalized in the national
affairs of the state. They hold that national level decision making is highly
skewed towards the Punjab. The decade old project of kalabagh dam and the
recent project of CPEC are examples of such showdown.
The Kalabagh dam has been in pipeline for decades,but there
is no national consensus on the issue among the federating units of the
country. The three provinces hold that is more a Punjab oriented scheme than a
national one. The legislatures of the provinces have also passed resolutions
condemning the project. The Punjab alone seems in favour of the Project.
The celebrated project of CPEC has been a victim of the
controversy. The reservations of the small provinces were settled in the APC
and it was agreed upon to work on the western route first, but the alleged post
APC actions of the government are not in line with its commitment. Which
further add to the grievances of the three small provinces.
Construction of huge dams are necessary in Pakistan for
water storage, averting floods ,producing electricity and utilization of water
for agricultural purposes, but it necessary to forge national consensus before
any action in this regard otherwise it will not yield optimum results rather
create further polarization. The CPEC too is “the game changer” and can add to
the economic development of Pakistan, but it is national consensus and
confidence which need to build first not the ambitious schemes. It is time the
government pay heed to the root causes of this trust deficit among the units of
the country and restore their confidence in the national affairs of the state.
