News
Monday, October 28, 2013
Law and order in Balochistan has improved: Baloch* Chief minister says Rs 50 billion needed for post-quake reconstruction work
KARACHI: Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch said on Sunday the overall law and order situation in Balochistan has improved.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk
Baloch said that with regard to the issues in the province, the government and all the coalition partners are on the same page.
“We are striving to find out a constitutional solution to the Balochistan situation,” he said. Addressing the Meet the Press programme of the Karachi Press Club (KPC), he said there are problems in some areas of Balochistan, however it is incorrect to say that the whole province is disturbed.
Dr Baloch said that the Frontier Constabulary (FC) has a role in controlling law and order in Balochistan and it is called whenever it is needed to coordinate with other law enforcement agencies.
The chief minister said that a total of 32,000 houses and over 200,000 people have been affected by the earthquake which hit the Awaran District.
According to a rough estimate, about Rs 40 to 50 billion are required for the reconstruction work in the earthquake-affected areas.
“We cannot manage to provide Rs 40 to 50 billion because the total budget of the Balochistan province is Rs 45 billion, therefore we will approach the federal government in this regard,” he said.
Baloch said that around 1,000 truckloads of relief goods have been sent to the quake-hit areas by the Pakistan Disaster Management Authority and Provincial Disaster Management Authority.
Of these 1,000 truckloads of goods, not a single truck is missing and all the relief goods have been distributed to the victims, he added.
These relief goods were sent in addition to those that were dispatched by the non-governmental organisations (NGOs), he added.
The chief minister expressed his gratitude to the Sindh government for its cooperation in providing medical treatment to those injured in the earthquake. Baloch announced to give Rs 300,000 to the KPC on behalf of the government of Balochistan.
He told a questioner that he has no contact with Brahamdagh Bugti but he wishes to contact him as soon as possible.
He told another questioner that he will soon announce formation of a commission to probe the reported murders of journalists in Balochistan. He noted that the journalist community is facing problems in some areas of Balochistan. app