Six out of every 10 Pakistanis blame Centre for unfair resources distribution: survey

ISLAMABAD: Six out of every 10 Pakistanis have complained about the federal government neglecting the provinces and unfairly distributing resources, according to a survey by the Institute for Public Opinion Research, in which more than 1,000 people from across the country participated, The News reported on Tuesday.

In the survey, 58% of Pakistanis said the federal government is neglecting the provinces, while 35% disagreed and said the provinces are being given adequate resources, while 6% did not answer the question.

The highest number of complaints about not receiving adequate resources from the federal government were made by 74% of people from Sindh, 68% from Balochistan, 65% from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the lowest number of complaints were made by 47% from Punjab.

When asked what are the reasons behind nationalist movement, 33% cited political deprivation as the biggest reason, 21% cited lack of development, 14% foreign interference, 10% state violence, while 6% cited racial discrimination as the main reason.

When asked what the government should do to strengthen Pakistan, 28% of respondents said the government should strengthen democratic institutions, 19% favoured equitable distribution of resources, 16% called for ending interference by undemocratic forces, 15% said respect for human rights, and 13% said respect for regional identity were essential for Pakistan's stability.

In the survey, 66% of Pakistanis also complained about not getting real representation; however, 27% disagreed with this, saying that their real representatives were currently in the assemblies, while 7% did not answer this question.