A while ago, the government spokesperson announced that the medical government intends to relocate the capital from Tehran to the Makran region and this matter is under consideration. (1) Many countries throughout history have changed their capitals for various reasons, the main reason being the increase in population in the capital and balanced development in the country. In examining these countries, it becomes clear that most of them have moved their capitals to the center of the country in order to create balanced development and easy access to the capital from all parts of the country, while others have chosen coastal areas to have access to open waters and establish political and economic relations with the world through oceans.

Makran is a coastal region and its residents are Baloch. This area is vast with a scattered and underdeveloped population. The Makran development plan has been implemented for several years and has been assigned to various government officials, but not only has Makran not developed, but with the migration of people from other cities to this region, native Baloch have been pushed to the margins and have no right to live there, and their homes are being destroyed. Perhaps the most important reason for the failure and incompetence of transferring the capital to Makran is this very Makran development plan. Some may say that the natives do not have the necessary ability to cooperate with the Makran development plan, while this criticism is directed at the government for preventing the growth of native forces in this region through discrimination and deprivation. The Makran development plan, which is a partial plan, has brought such problems for the natives, and when the overall plan of transferring the capital is implemented, the region must be cleared

On the other hand, the Makran region is located in a corner of the country and is very far from the northern, eastern, and western regions. If the capital is placed in this remote region, how can it create balanced development for the entire country? As the current capital is not located in the center of the country, it has not been able to create balanced development for the whole country. Additionally, some countries that have moved their capital to coastal regions have done so in order to establish political and economic relations with other countries through open waters. However, Iran’s political and economic relations with the world have worsened every day after the revolution, due to the dominant ideology in the country, and moving the capital will not bring about any changes in these relations.

Points to consider from a sociological perspective are that the Baloch people are the original inhabitants of this region. They have defended the borders with the least resources and in the most deprived conditions, and have not been willing to migrate from this region; because they love their homeland and birthplace. Now, if the capital is relocated and they are forced to migrate and leave their homeland, they will definitely resist and the region will likely become unsafe.

In summary, due to problems such as severe deprivation and underdevelopment in the region, severe weakness in development infrastructure, especially in the field of communication lines, due to transportation of imported goods and their export to the northern region of the country, distance from the center of the country, lack of security for tourism development, harsh weather conditions and water scarcity, distance from energy sources, low participation of people in planning, distance from the country’s oil and gas resources, and high levels of illiteracy in the province, it is difficult to transfer the capital to this region. On the other hand, transferring the capital requires huge budgets for the implementation of administrative infrastructure, relocation of government institutions, and transfer of employees, which the Islamic Republic is currently unable to manage.

According to Baloch activists, the purpose of proposing this plan is to occupy the lands of Makran and resell them to the government’s own interests, and to drive the Baloch people out of their ancestral land of Aba.

Note:

1- Government spokesperson on the transfer of the capital: What is being considered is the Makran region/ We are currently working on this issue.

Entekhab News and Analysis Website.

January 8th, 2025.