International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 2017, Vol. 7, No. 6 ISSN: 2222-6990 The Political Economy of Development: A Critical Assessment of Balochistan, Pakistan Manzoor Ahmed, PhD Associate Professor of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, Management, and Information Technology, Lasbela University, Balochistan, Pakistan Email:
[email protected] Akhtar Baloch, PhD Professor Department of Public Administration, University of Karachi, Pakistan Email:
[email protected] DOI: 10.6007/IJARBSS/v7-i6/3063 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v7-i6/3063 Abstract This study aims at examining the political economy of the province of Balochistan, Pakistan and the underlying causes of social and economic under-development of the province. After presenting a brief and critical account on the historical development of the people of Balochistan, the paper argues that the province of Balochistan notwithstanding having a huge and resourceful land has failed to keep the pace of socio-economic development and modernity with other fellow provinces in the federation of Pakistan. After the independence of Pakistan and the formation of Balochistan as a province of, the people of Balochistan because of their political disorganization and segregation and economic backwardness failed to exert them within the political economy realm of Pakistan in order to grab their due resource share. The saga of economic and social backwardness of Balochistan province is a multifaceted puzzle. A section of the Balochistan political elite and scholars believe that the centralist nature of Pakistani federation is such that small nationalities like the Baloch and Pashtoon would find it hard to get their due share within the federation.