With army chief General Raheel Sharif on his left side and Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch on his right, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said that the government and all its institutions including the armed forces, were on the same page for the development, progress and security of Pakistan.
Nawaz Sharif was visiting Gwadar to assess the development projects in the region. He was received at the airbase by Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif. Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also accompanied Sharif during his visit.
The prime minister said Rs 162 billion will be allocated for development projects in the province.
He said that the construction of a state-of-the-art airport will be implemented along with development of the port, which the government envisions as a ‘Free Port’ along the lines of Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong ports. International consultants will be hired for the planning and development of the free port, said the prime minister, adding that it will be developed along the lines of the ones in Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Speaking about the law and order and security situation in Balochistan, the premier stated that immediate action will be taken by General Raheel Sharif, and new security measures will be introduced. Furthermore, the PM said special security measures will be implemented for Chinese personnel working in Balochistan to safeguard the Pak-China economic corridor.
He also praised and gave special thanks to Balochistan’s chief minister on the basis of his work in implementing good policies and curtailing nepotism and bribery. The prime minister also lauded the role of the FC, the military and federal institutions for the improvement in the law and order situation of the region.
Prime Minister Sharif on April 18 had stressed that the Gwadar port extension project should be given priority in order to boost economic activity in the country, Radio Pakistan reported.
Along with these development projects, he had also emphasised the need to improve health and education services in the province. The socio-economic package includes provision for training of human resource in different sectors.
Establishing peace in Balochistan is a priority of the government, he said, noting that security concerns can impede economic activity and socio-economic development.
