Balochistan will be ignored no more, says prime minister

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani assured the people of Balochistan on Tuesday that their province would not be ignored anymore, saying the government had initiated a series of development projects to remove the Baloch people’s sense of deprivation.
The assurance came at the PM’s address to the passing out parade of 5,000 army recruits from Balochistan. He said Balochistan and its people were a symbol of the country’s honour and prestige, but regrettably the area had been neglected in the past. The government was trying to compensate for the injustice done to the Balochs, he added. As part of these efforts‚ said the PM, the government had developed a comprehensive strategy to develop Balochistan and remove the grievances of the people of the province.
He said the government also announced the Aaghaz-e-Haqooq Balochistan package, under which Baloch people would be given opportunities in various sectors. He said 665 prisoners had been released by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government and it had also constituted a judicial commission that was working for missing people. He said all military checkposts had been removed from across the province and the Frontier Corps had been deployed in place of the army. Gilani stated that work on military cantonments had also been stopped in the province.
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS: He said further that 33 development projects worth Rs 360 billion were underway in Balochistan. He said Rs 1.5 billion had been spent on acquiring land in Gwadar, and Rs 8.5 billion were being spent on 17 large-scale road projects across the province. He said the government was also establishing educational projects across the province to educate the Baloch youth, and the IT and Business Management University was being set up in Quetta at the cost of Rs 46 million.
Gilani also reaffirmed his government’s plan to implement the set strategy to provide the Baloch youth employment opportunities in order to address their grievances and said the Gwadar Port Authority had been asked to give most jobs to Balochs. He said 20,000 jobs would be provided to Baloch youth, while 6,000 Baloch youngsters would be given jobs in the federal capital with a special package.
APPEALS TO MILITANTS: Gilani praised Pakistan Army for making its best efforts to defend the country and appealed to militants and terrorists to give up arms and join the mainstream for peace and prosperity of the province and the country. “Choose the path of peace, as this is the only way for the progress of people of Balochistan and Pakistan,” the premier said. “Those who don’t want peace to prevail in the province will repent at the end as they are causing a huge loss to their own people,” he warned.
The event was also attended by Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and senior civil and military officials. The prime minister earlier reviewed the guard of honour and the young displayed their prowess in anti-terrorism skills and demonstrated ways to neutralise militants.
INTELLIGENCE SHARING: Later, talking to reporters at the Quetta Cantt after the parade, Gilani offered intelligence sharing to Afghanistan for investigation into the assassination of Burhanuddin Rabbani, the former president of Afghanistan. Gilani said Pakistan, too, was shocked by Rabbani’s murder and offered all its collaboration to the Afghan government for the investigation. He said Pakistan was working to devise a combined strategy with Afghanistan to counter terrorism in the region.
Referring to Pakistan-US ties, he said the two countries’ relations were improving and moving in a positive direction. In answer to a question about the Balochistan situation, he said the government wanted reconciliation and was still ready to hold talks and reach out to the “dissident Baloch brethren” to find an amicable solution to the issues of the province. He stated that on reports of involvement of a foreign hand in the Balochistan unrest, the provincial government had been told to work on the issue and present its report to the federal government.