A budget of non-development expenditures

The budget in Balochistan has always brought both good and bad news, but over the years, public complaints have increased significantly and for good reason. Many people feel there is little in the budget for ordinary citizens, including the salaried class and government employees, who staged a protest sit-in during the budget session. Moreover, members of the Balochistan Employees’ Grand Alliance not only clashed with police in Quetta, the provincial capital, but also attempted to march to the Balochistan Assembly to protest a mere seven per cent salary increase. Police subsequently arrested several of their leaders, prompting the alliance to announce a shutdown of government offices, educational institutions, and other public-sector departments across the province. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Besides the employees, the ordinary people spoken to for this story appeared either uninterested in the budget or angry with the provincial government, which they felt had left them in the lurch. “There is nothing for us in the budget,” was a refrain repeated by many of them, from labourers to rickshaw drivers, during conversations with Dawn. The bulk of Balochistan’s budget has been allocated for security and to maintain existing services rather than enhancing quality and improving the socio-economic environment Despite such sentiments, the provincial government presented a Rs1.13 trillion budget for FY27. Total expenditure has been estimated at Rs1.09tr, leaving the province with a budgeted surplus of Rs45.57bn, according to official estimates. According to budget documents, the total outlay comprises projected receipts of Rs1.1tr and a cash carryover of Rs30.61bn from federally funded projects, underscoring Balochistan’s continued dependence on federal transfers. The province is expected to receive Rs800.13bn through its share of the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award and other federal receipts. Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by area, yet it remain