Sindh –A Province in turmoil

Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh is confronted by issues ranging from poor

governance, lack of support to small and medium-sized farmers and a fragile regulatory
framework. A study in contrasts defined by sharp urban-rural and socioeconomic
divides, Sindh’s politics has ethnic and sub-nationalist elements. Despite huge
productivity potential, Sindh remains largely untapped. The available data suggest that
Sindh has experienced little improvements in any of the human development indicators
over the past two decades. Moreover, the province is faced with a large influx of people
from other parts of Pakistan who put an additional burden on its resources and
infrastructure. The province’s extremes range from the wealth and density of Karachi,
the mega port city that dominates the economy not only of Sindh but also of Pakistan as
a whole, and the poverty in other parts like Tharparkar.

The rural districts of Sindh are home to some of the most impoverished citizens of
Pakistan, many of them haris (sharecroppers) who are tied to waderos (landowners) in
bonded labor arrangements. Industrial and commercial activity in Karachi has long
outpaced the agricultural economy that flourishes on the banks of the Indus in Sindh,
further exacerbating the province’s economic divisions.

The centre regularly commits excesses with the province. Sindh’s political leadership
claims that that by showing a reduced population of the province in the census figures
the federal government deprives the region it of its increased share in the divisible pool
in the National Finance Commission Award.
To know more: https://peaceforasia.org/sindh-a-province-in-turmoil/