Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday assured the people of Baluchistan that he would do his utmost to end the sense of alienation felt by the people of the province while also promising to raise the thorny issue of “missing persons” with the relevant quarters.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the 330-km Khuzdar-Kuchlak sections of N-25 Chaman-Karachi National Highway during his day-long visit to Quetta, the premier said that he was committed to solving all the problems plaguing Balochistan including that of missing persons.

“The legal fraternity raised the issue of ‘missing persons’. [BNP-M’s] Akhtar Mengal has also raised the issue several times,” he said adding that he would raise the issue with relevant quarters “on the basis of merit and justice”.

Militancy

The premier acknowledged that militancy and terrorism had once again reared its head in the province while lauding the people of Balochistan for their sacrifices in the war against terrorism.

“There has been a spike in terrorism-related events recently. We will defeat it through mutual understanding,” he said. The province has witnessed a spate of militant attacks recently, particularly at security installations, by Baloch militants groups.

Development

Balochistan is the biggest province of Pakistan in terms of area but lags behind in development and standard of living, noted the premier. “This is despite the fact that the region has been blessed with natural resources.”

He said that Balochistan did not get the share of natural gas that it should have received. “The entirety of Pakistan is benefitting from Sui gas.”

The region is rich with coal and other resources as well, continued PM Shehbaz, while assuring those in attendance that resources allocated for the province would be judiciously utilized.

“Should we lament the mistakes made in the past or look towards the future?”

He said that the country bungled up on Reko Diq, home to a major deposit of gold and copper. “Billions were lost in the Reko Diq case. We failed there.”

Law and order

During his visit, the premier chaired a meeting to review the law and order situation in Balochistan, reported Radio Pakistan.

Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, Sardar Muhammad Akhtar Jan Mangal, Federal Ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Mulana Abdul Wasey, and high ranking officers attended the meeting.

The premier stated that development of Balochistan was among the top priorities of his government. He added that the process of awarding scholarships to students of Balochistan, which was suspended, would be resumed.