This is apropos a Business Recorder op-ed "Structure of the provincial economies" carried by the newspaper yesterday. The writer, Dr Hafiz A Pasha, has added to my knowledge a highly valuable fact with regard to the economies of country's four provinces. According to him, for example, "Sindh has the highest per capita income, which is over 12 percent above the national average. Punjab comes next with a per capita income very close to the national average. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has a per capita income 9 percent below the country's per capita income while in the case of Balochistan it is 28 percent below the national average. The relative backwardness of Balochistan must be seen as a major development problem which has to be tackled on a top priority basis."

A look at his write-up is a fascinating eye-opener. The information provided by him to this newspaper's readers is both surprising and enlightening. That Balochistan deserves attention is a fact that has found its best expression from the numbers that an erudite Dr Pasha has cited in order to substantiate his argument. The government needs to act urgently by investing heavily in the agri-fishing sector of economy with a view to developing this province at the earliest.

Ramzan Baloch (Turbat, Balochistan)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021