Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo has warned against pushing the resource-rich but backward province to the wall or to the brink of a situation, leading to a “strong reaction”.

“The country’s ruling circles should take note of the attitude of Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and give Balochistan its due rights,” he was quoted as saying in a statement on Saturday.

His statement was centered on the federal government’s handling of issues related to Balochistan. This is not new Bizenjo issued similar statements when the Centre met with provinces for the fiscal year budget 2023-24.

He continued to express his deep disappointment with the federal government’s “attitude”. He criticised the Centre for failing to honour its commitments and promises to the province.

Despite Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s announcement, he lamented that Balochistan did not receive its due share and funds by June 30, including PPL and the complete share of National Finance Commission (NFC) awards.

He claimed that the Treasury Division and the PPL Board seemed to have disregarded the PM’s directives, which gave the impression that the federal finance minister did not take such words and promises “seriously”.

“We have no personal grudges against the federal government,” he said, “but due to the non-implementation of promises, we were compelled to boycott the NFC and the federal budget.”

In an effort to address the financial issues, the PM acknowledged Balochistan’s stance and established a parliamentary committee to resolve the matters. Balochistan CM Bizenjo also shed light on the eleven points with the parliamentary committee.

Apart from the non-disbursement of funds for federal projects, the Chief Minister highlighted the deteriorating condition of Balochistan’s national highways and the negligence of the National Highway Authority. He emphasised that their road network was suffering from the National Highways and Motorway Police’s apparent lack of attention.

“We have raised these issues on numerous platforms,” said Bizenjo, “but the benefits of the parliamentary committee are yet to be realised.”

He was of the view that the PPL company was proving to be an “East India Company” for the province. The CM added that to a great extent, the state-owned petroleum company was responsible for the state of Balochistan.

He wondered whether the PPL was so powerful that it does not follow the orders of PM Shehbaz.

He mentioned that the Sui agreement between Balochistan and the PPL completed its term in 2015. The chief minister expressed concern that the PPL company was acting independently in Balochistan without any agreement and continued operations in the Sui gas field. He stressed that the province’s dues to the PPL exceeded Rs60 billion.

“We are not asking for charity; we are demanding our rights,” reiterated CM Bizenjo.

He called on the influential circles in the country to take note of the PPL’s behaviour and ensure justice for Balochistan. The chief minister firmly stated that the people of Balochistan would not compromise on their rights under any circumstances.

Furthermore, he labelled the “continuous neglect” of a federal unit as unconstitutional and undemocratic. He reminded the authorities that the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees the protection of the rights of smaller provinces.

“We also demand an immediate new NFC award,” added the CM.

The 7th NFC Award has completed its term in 2014, he reminded the government and added that the provinces was suffering a loss of over Rs10 billion due to the lack of a new NFC award.

He demanded that the representative of Balochistan in the federation should convey the voice of Balochistan to Parliament.