Quetta:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was ready to sit on the other side of the table with “those who were misleading … who were lost” in Balutchistan, while he was committed to returning “social and economic justice” to the people of the province, which has been trapped in a spiral of deadly violence since 2006.
“We must strive to win back the people who have been misled [by terrorists] On the wrong track. If there are grievances, they should be resolved by dialogue in the spirit of fraternity, “he said, referring to chronic concerns in the province poor in the ground that have been exploited by Baloutch terrorist groups to promote their violent story.
The Prime Minister spoke on Saturday to a Grand Jirga in Quetta, which brought together former tribal, legislators and main stakeholders for safety and development consultations.
The head of the Marshal of the Staff of the Army Syed Asim Munir, the acting governor of Balutchistan, Abdul Khaliq Achakzai, the chief minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and the high -ranking military and civilian officials were also present.
Expressing his gratitude for the warm welcome he received, the Prime Minister described Balutchistan as “a beautiful province of brave people and the heart of Pakistan”.
Terrorist violence has increased in recent months, which civil and military officials have attributed to Indian interference. “The bloodthirsty terrorists, who are against the progress and prosperity of Pakistan, carry out acts of heinous terrorism at the request of foreign elements,” said the Prime Minister, alluding to India.
“They must be arrested. We must all overcome their harmful conceptions. If there are gaps in our response, these could be processed with your advice,” he told Jirga participants.
He reiterated that “all the provinces are like brothers and will also share the country’s resources”, adding that the federal government allocated 70 billion rupees for a solarization project in Balutchistan.
Similarly, 150 billion rupees will be directed towards the construction of the N-25 motorway, commonly known as “bloody highway” because of its perilous state. Funds will be taken from the amount saved after the drop in international oil prices.
The Prime Minister also announced that 1,000 billion rupees would be allocated to the public sector development program (PSDP) this year, with 25% – or 250 billion rupees – intended for Balutchistan.
He assured that every penny on the part, which he called the “law of the people of Balutchistan”, would be spent transparent for the progress and prosperity of the province.
The Prime Minister also recalled that Punjab had agreed to present part of the National Finance Commission (NFC) to Balutchistan for its development needs, because the province is the most important in terms of area.
“In the value of today, the funds diverted to Balutchistan rise to Rs160 billion,” he explained.
The NFC Prize was signed in Lahore in 2010 after three days of discussions between national leaders, including President Asif Ali Zardari, then Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Nawaz Sharif, he added.
He said that during Nawaz Sharif’s mandate as Prime Minister, numerous development projects were undertaken in Balutchistan and President Zardari had launched the Aghaz-E-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package.
Speaking of the recent conflict with India, Prime Minister Shehbaz said that the nights between May 6 and 7 and May 10, India attacked Pakistan, but with the grace of Allah, the armed forces courageously defeated the enemy, who will remember his defeat forever. He thanked the inhabitants of Pakistan for showing unity and standing in the shoulder with the Pakistani army during the conflict.
“As Prime Minister, I witnessed all the events of the short-term war,” he said, adding that “as a courageous and sagace chief, Marshal Syed Asim Munnir led the armed forces of Pakistan to a victory against India and returned the proud nation”.
He said that the triumph of India is likely to avenge the events of 1971. “Now the enemy is afraid and that the sympathetic countries of Pakistan are more confident after the military victory of Pakistan over India,” he said.
