Pakistan: 64 percent region of Balochistan still lacking electricity

Around 64 percent of Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan, lacks electric facilities, leaving people in the region in trouble even so many years after Pakistan gained Independence.

“Thirty-six percent of Balochistan has electricity facilities. However, there is no report available that can clearly depict the approximate district-wise ratio of area of each district of Balochistan which has facility of electricity,” according to the document presented in the National Assembly. In the last five years, 6,682 villages were electrified in various districts of Balochistan, the breakup available with The Nation revealed.

According to year-wise breakup, the previous government [in PML-N’s era] had electrified 1,317 small villages in the year 2016-17. As many as 2,459 small villages were electrified in 2017-18, reports The Nation.

The current government electrified 1,064 in 2018-19, 819 in 2019-20, 1,023 in 2020-21.

The Ministry for Power Division, responding to a query, accepted the fact that most of the areas of Balochistan have no facility of electricity.

Talking to The Nation MNA from Balochistan Agha Hassan Baloch said that there were no concrete measures taken by any government to remove deprivation of Balochistan. 

“How can we imagine that Balochistan has only 36 percent electricity facility in 2021, as the rest of the 64 percent is in the dark,” said Baloch.

“In three districts of Makran, Balochistan is getting electricity from Iran,” he said, expressing concerns over the performance of the incumbent government.