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Govt will cleanse Balochistan, KP and FATA of terrorists: Nawaz
* PM says Pakistan will neither allow anyone to use its territory against any other country nor will tolerate terrorists using foreign soil for terrorist activities inside PakistanAPP
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday said the government will cleanse Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA of terrorists.
He said owing to neglect in the past, Balochistan lagged behind in socioeconomic development and stressed that both federal and provincial governments were now taking measures to ensure growth and peaceful environment in the province. Addressing the inaugural session of Balochistan Development Forum here, the prime minister said development of Balochistan was close to his heart, and despite constraints, the federal government provided substantial resources to supplement the efforts of the provincial government to address the needs of its people. The prime minister mentioned some already taken corrective measures in shape of 7th NFC Award, Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan, 18th Amendment and substantive allocations for development projects.
Nawaz said as the developmental gaps were huge; it was imperative that synergies be created by development partners, civil society and foreign and local investors to give new impetus to developmental efforts. He said that the federal government was also financing and implementing a number of projects in Balochistan to address major gaps in infrastructure, as well as human development indicators in the province.
The premier mentioned construction of M-8 (Gwadar-Turbat-Hoshab and Khuzdar-Ratodero) and N-85 (Hoshab-Basima-Sorab), which he said would greatly improve Balochistan’s connectivity with the country. He said that the federal government had also launched a project at a cost of Rs 4 billion, in collaboration with the provincial government, for construction of houses for earthquake victims of Awaran District.
To meet the electricity demand of Balochistan, Nawaz said a 300MW power plant was planned to be set up in Gwadar, while two additional transmission lines 220 KV Dadu-Khuzdar and 220 KV DG Khan-Loralai had already been completed.
Nawaz said allocation of federal PSDP (Public Sector Development Program) this year for Balochistan had been substantially enhanced with Rs 61 billion which was 37 percent higher than financial year 2012-13. He added that Rs 15 billion had been earmarked in PSDP 2014-15 as a “Special Development Package” for Balochistan, which was the highest amongst all provinces.
The prime minister said Balochistan enjoys central position and could become a regional hub for trade in goods and energy with its strategic location making it pivotal both for the East-West and North-South trade routes. He said that Balochistan was going to be the main beneficiary under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and mentioned that developing Gwadar Port, Gwadar Port City, a modern new airport, and improved inland connectivity would make Gwadar a hub of national and regional trade.
Nawaz said establishment of Free Trade Zones and Special Economic Zones in the province would underpin its prospects to become an attractive destination for foreign and domestic investment. He said these initiatives would bring about a socio-economic revolution for the people of Balochistan.
The prime minister said Balochistan was the largest province of Pakistan in terms of land area and was rich in natural resources including large deposits of hydrocarbons and metallic minerals. He said the province had huge potential for development of agriculture, fruits, vegetables, fisheries and livestock, besides its coastal areas particularly the Gwadar port that offered great opportunities for socio-economic development.
Nawaz expressed satisfaction that the Balochistan government had made meaningful progress in socio-economic uplift of the people during the past one-and-a-half-year. He mentioned in this regard the reconstruction of Quaid-e-Azam’s Ziarat Residency in its original shape in record time, holding of local government elections in the province, rehabilitation of earthquake affected people of Awaran District, implementation of major infrastructure and social sectors projects, and improvement of security environment in the province.
The premier said the share of Balochistan had been significantly increased from 5.11 to 9.09 percent in the 7th NFC award to ensure steady and predictable flow of financial resources and recognising the relevance of the principle of inverse density.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk