Ethnic Resurgence in Pakistan and Challenges for the Federation

Abstract

The Pakistani federation faces fundamental threat due to the continued resurgence of ethnic nationalism especially in Balochistan and Sindh. This Article argues that such emergence is not a historical anomaly, but the direct result of the structural failure of Pakistan's centralized federal system to live up to its constitutional promises of provincial autonomy and mechanism of equitable resource sharing. Using a qualitative comparative case study method, the research examines the different but interlinked movements in the two provinces in the post-2000 period - a period marked by the meaningful but flawed 18th Constitutional Amendment. Anchored in a theoretical framework that blends asymmetric federalism, federal bargain and grievance-based theory, the study shows the grievances of Balochistan with resource exploitation and political marginalization have manifested itself in a violent secessionist insurgency, while the grievances of Sindh over water rights and cultural preservation have developed into a constitutional autonomist movement. The papers collectively show that the gap between the promise of the 18th Amendment and its realization, in the face of a state response, characterized by securitization in most cases, has violated the federal compact and exacerbated ethnic tensions. Moreover, the state's inflexible, one-size-fits-all approach has contributed to instability rather than to finding solutions to it. The paper concludes that long-term federal cohesion will depend upon a genuine recreation of the federal bargain which goes beyond nominal concessions to a genuinely pluralistic and asymmetric model of long-term accommodation for different ethnic aspirations through effective political and fiscal devolution.

Keywords: Ethnic Resurgence, Pakistani Federalism, Balochistan Conflict, Sindhi Nationalism, 18th Amendment, Resource Distribution, Provincial Autonomy