Pakistan's militancy-hit Balochistan unveils ‘largest' $3.6 billion annual budget
ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan's militancy-hit Balochistan on Tuesday unveiled its $3.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2025-26, which provincial Finance Minister Mir Shoaib Nosherwani described as the 'largest' one in the province's history.
Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province by land size but its poorest by almost all social and economic indicators. The province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been the scene of a low-lying insurgency for decades where ethnic separatist militants demand a greater share of the province's mineral resources for locals.
Nosherwani presented the budget for the upcoming fiscal year in the Balochistan Assembly in Quetta, with Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai chairing the session.
'For the upcoming fiscal year, the total budget is estimated at Rs1,028 billion [$3.63 billion]— the largest in the province's history,' Nosherwani told lawmakers during the budget session.
'Out of this, the non-development budget is Rs642 billion [$2.26 billion] while the overall provincial development (PSDP) budget is Rs249.5 billion [$878 million],' he added.
The finance minister pointed out that the budget includes a Rs42 billion [$148.3 million] surplus, describing it as a 'historic milestone' for the province.
Nosherwani said the government has earmarked over Rs120 billion [$423.5 million] for the schools sector and Rs29.1 billion [$102.7 million] for the higher education sector.
The provincial government has also allocated Rs87 billion [$307 million] for the health sector, ₨26 billion [$91.8 million] for the agriculture sector and Rs1 billion [$3.53 million] for food, he said.
He said the government had decided not to purchase new vehicles, except for the ones required by law enforcement personnel.
'To create employment opportunities in 2025–26, the provincial government plans to introduce 4,188 contract positions and 1,958 regular jobs across departments,' Nosherwani said.
He credited the provincial government for not overlooking any segment of society in the annual budget.
'These measures cover government employees, women, pensioners, youth, migrants, laborers— people from every walk of life,' the finance minister said.
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