Balochistan Assembly demands relief package for farmers

BNP-M leader Sanaullah Baloch wants province declared disaster-hit

QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution demanding a relief package for farmers suffering from a severe drought in several parts of the province.

Tabling the resolution during the assembly session chaired by Deputy Speaker Sardar Babar Musakhael, Sanaullah Baloch of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) said the province must be declared a ‘disaster-hit zone’.

He demanded of the federal government to announce a special relief package for local farmers.

“In view of the province’s devastated economy, this august house demands scrapping of electricity dues for farmers and special relief on agriculture loans,” he said.

Baloch also called upon the federal government to ensure 18 hours of power supply to the agriculture sector.



He further advised the federal government to obtain assistance from international donors to mitigate the effects of the drought in the province. He said 300 solar tube wells must be installed in the province to provide clean drinking water to the people.

Speaking on the occasion, provincial Minister for Information Mir Zahoor Buledi said water crisis in Balochistan had reached an alarming level, but the provincial government had been taking steps on an emergency basis.

He added that the federal government had agreed not to cut Balochistan’s share under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

On the decreasing underground water level in Quetta, Nasrullah Khan Zeeray of the Pashtunkhwa Mili Awami Party (PkMAP) said that environmental experts had urged the provincial government to build small dams in the city because the land in the provincial capital was rapidly sliding and new cracks were emerging.

He said the previous government had proposed the construction of 200 small dams in the surrounding hills of Quetta and submitted a survey report to the federal government.

“But there was no response to the report from the Centre,” Zeeray said, adding, “If we continue to ignore this vital issue, majority of the citizens will be compelled to migrate towards other cities.”



After a thorough debate, the house adopted the resolution featuring several demands for the province’s agriculture and livestock sectors.

The opposition, meanwhile, demanded explanation from the provincial government on the Spera Ragha Highway.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) leader Syed Fazal Agha told the house that the total cost of the highway was Rs1.604 billion but the provincial government allocated only Rs200 million. He called upon the government to clarify its position on the project.

In reply, Information Minister Buledi said the government was reviewing the provincial PSDP and the project would be prioritised in the next PSDP.

Taking a jibe at the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) about its relief operations in drought-hit areas, the BNP-M leader said a majority of the people in Kharan, Nushki and Dalbandin depended on the livestock sector which had been devastated by the lingering drought.

“People in the drought-hit areas are suffering from lack of food, but instead of taking care of their hunger, the PDMA Balochistan was sending them tents which is a joke with the people of those areas,” Baloch said, adding that the modern world had already adopted technological solutions to control drought but “we haven’t even thought about it”.

On the water dispute with Sindh, MPA Jan Muhammad Jamali said Balochistan had supported the Sindh government in opposing Kalabagh Dam, but in return, the province had been stealing Balochistan’s water.

“The Sindh government has stopped the water supply for the green belt of Balochistan due to which people in Naseerabad division have been migrating to other areas,” Jamali said, adding, “We keep hearing the rhetoric of [Federal Information Minister] Fawad Chauhdry, but now it’s time to make him listen to our stance”.