Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Balochistan Women Wing President Fehmida Jamali on Friday said that Balochistan is the least developed province of Pakistan where a basic infrastructure even for future economic development had been denied deliberately for the past seven decades. She said the 1200 kilometers long Makran Coast remained unexplored and backward while it could have been a gold mine for Pakistan and it could have earned billions of dollars a year for being a port of transit for the landlocked countries of Central Asia including Afghanistan.
‘In a statement issued here, she said more than 29 districts of the province have been denied natural gas from Sui’. Though the SSGC had announced that it was providing natural gas to some 14 villages or small human settlements but not to 29 districts of the province, she added.
It was a matter of concern for the government that Khuzdar and Turbat have been denied the gas facility for the past six decades. There was no plan in the knowledge of the people or the local media that when the major cities of Balochistan would get natural gas. However it was an awkward situation when the chief minister met the prime minister and requested him for LPG plant to provide gas to a smaller number of consumers in the main city centre only; she added.
Jamali said the people demanded that the gas pipeline should be extended from Quetta to Khuzdar and should cover the entire Balochistan which would be future hub of brisk economic activities in the whole region.
On the other hand, the situation was not better in case of providing electricity to the consumers. The available infrastructure of transmission line could take a load of 600 MW to the maximum while Balochistan was being provided only 400 MW to this date imposing a massive load shedding in major parts of the province.
Fehmida Jamali also issued an advisory, emphasising the provincial government to spend budgetary provisions on development projects, human resources while laying the foundation of future economic development of Balochistan.
While the increase in provincial revenue has since helped the province significantly spike its development investment from its own resources, it has not done much to stimulate economic growth.
‘She further said the investment scenario in Balochistan is now bright because of foreign investors’ interest in economic development of abundant resources in mineral, fisheries, agriculture & livestock sectors and the province could develop into a major trading and business hub, as the potential of Balochistan is now widely understood’.
‘Active and aggressive private sector development is one opportunity of enormous importance to Balochistan in particular for accomplishment of economic development in the province, the provincial government should take appropriate steps on priority basis for the exploitation of natural resources, as the delay in effective use of resources will keep industrial activities in Balochistan at low profile’. ‘Balochistan should take the opportunity and encourage the private sector and should invite foreign investors in different sectors’, she added.
