Restive peripheries

The deep-seated center-periphery divide in Pakistan, a challenge as old as the nation itself, continues to manifest acutely across the country. While the specific contours have shifted over time, the tension remains a significant structural crisis. Currently, at least three peripheries, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), are experiencing simmering unrest.

While establishment apologists struggle to attribute the current situation in these regions solely to foreign influence, the historical relationship between these unique geographical areas and the state cannot be easily dismissed. Furthermore, regions like the Seraiki belt, Sindh, and Gilgit-Baltistan, though not currently gripped by widespread unrest, remain marginalized from the political, economic, cultural, and intellectual mainstream. In these areas, the majority of the population struggles for basic economic survival and dignity, often subjected to oppressive governance.

Underpinning this divide is a model of colonial statecraft that treats ordinary citizens as subjects to be controlled through a combination of rewards and punishments, rather than as enfranchised individuals with legitimate claims and the right to demand accountability from the state. This model is not confined to the peripheries; even within Punjab, Pakistan's dominant province, peripheral regions and populations, such as small farmers, the landless, and dwellers of informal settlements, experience similar marginalization.

The center-periphery dynamic is also characterized by colonial-style resource extraction. A prime example is the natural gas extracted from Sui in Dera Bugti since the 1950s, which supplies numerous homes and industries across Pakistan. Despite being the source of this vital resource, Dera Bugti remains one of the country's poorest districts, largely deprived of the benefits. This pattern extends to other valuable resources, including vast mineral deposits like copper and gold, and marine resources along the coast. Even essential resources like water, originating from the glaciers of Gilgit-Baltistan and flowing to the deltas of coastal Sindh, represent a significant value transfer from peripheral regions to the center.

Countervailing tendencies exist, with the weak federal compact having partially redressed power and resource imbalances. However, some commentators argue that the 18th Amendment, intended to empower provinces, has instead empowered 'provincial' elites while worsening public service delivery. The argument that regions like AJK are a burden on the center is further undermined when considering the substantial labor outflows from KP, GB, and AJK, alongside the value of critical resources like water.