Pakistan's Persistent Center-Periphery Divide Fuels Regional Unrest
Pakistan faces a long-standing and acute center-periphery divide, a structural crisis that predates the nation itself. Currently, regions like Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) are experiencing significant unrest, though other areas such as the Seraiki belt, Sindh, and Gilgit-Baltistan, while not actively in revolt, remain marginalized from the national political, economic, cultural, and intellectual mainstream. Many inhabitants of these peripheral regions struggle for basic economic survival and dignity, often subjected to oppressive governance.
The underlying issue stems from a colonial model of statecraft that treats citizens as subjects to be controlled rather than as enfranchised individuals with rights and the ability to hold the state accountable. This dynamic extends even to Punjab, where rural small farmers, landless populations, and urban slum dwellers experience similar marginalization. The pattern of colonial-style resource extraction is evident, with regions like Dera Bugti in Balochistan, the source of natural gas since the 1950s, remaining impoverished and deprived of benefits. This extraction extends to mineral wealth and vital water resources flowing from Gilgit-Baltistan to Sindh.
Despite arguments about state subsidies to regions like AJK, the reality of resource extraction and value transfer from historical peripheries to the center persists, compounded by significant labor migration from KP, GB, and AJK. While the 18th Amendment has offered some redressal of power and resource imbalances, it has not fundamentally altered the colonial, class-based logic of power, with some critics arguing it has empowered provincial elites without improving public services. While some peripheral populations have achieved social mobility through migration, this does not negate the widespread dispossession and immiseration experienced by many, nor the ongoing coercion by the state against those demanding freedoms. The writer suggests dismantling this colonial social contract requires recognizing the shared interests of peripheral populations across all regions, including Punjab, to counter the state's 'divide and rule' strategy.
The persistent center-periphery dynamic in Pakistan, rooted in a colonial governance model, highlights a systemic issue of resource extraction and unequal development. The analysis suggests that despite constitutional changes and economic shifts, the state apparatus continues to operate on principles that prioritize central control and benefit over peripheral populations' equitable participation and resource sharing. This creates a cycle of unrest and marginalization, exacerbated by the state's tendency to employ coercive tactics rather than fostering inclusive governance. Moving forward, addressing this entrenched divide may require a fundamental re-evaluation of the state's relationship with its diverse regions, focusing on genuine power devolution, equitable resource distribution, and recognition of the interlocking interests of all citizens, rather than perpetuating a 'divide and rule' strategy that risks further instability in the coming decade.
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