PM Imran forms body for Balochistan projects

NDC okays setting up of a Balochistan Mineral Exploration Company

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday ordered the formation of a committee to review projects in different sectors in Balochistan including communications, agriculture and energy.

Chairing the second meeting of the National Development Council (NDC), the premier directed the committee, which will include the planning minister, the finance adviser and the Balochistan chief minister, to prioritise the projects and submit a report to him.

The NDC also gave the nod to the setting up of a Balochistan Mineral Exploration Company to harness and promote the potential of mineral resources in the province.

During the meeting, the prime minister reiterated his commitment to the uplift of Balochistan and bringing it at par with the developed areas of the country.

He pledged a raft of projects in Balochistan to end the “sense of deprivation” felt by the people of the largest province of the country.
He premier said special attention must be given to providing employment opportunities to the youth and building infrastructure in the province.

The participants of the meeting reviewed several projects related to the national development agenda, especially for the development of the backward and remote areas of Balochistan. They also discussed schemes for the better utilisation of water resources, establishment of border markets and maximum use of Gwadar port.
PM Imran maintained that ensuring law and order in Balochistan and its socio-economic development was among the top priorities of the government.

“We are fully aware of the sense of deprivation among the people of Balochistan and making every effort to alleviate it,” he added.
The premier noted that the construction of Gwadar port was a “game changer” not only for Balochistan but for the entire region and special attention should be paid to providing employment opportunities to the youth and building infrastructure.

“There must be complete focus on the development of infrastructure, provision of employment for the youth, and completion of road networks to gain benefit from the completion of Gwadar port and the CPEC.”

Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, ISI DG Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, federal ministers Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Hammad Azhar, Ali Haider Zaidi and Omar Ayub, advisers Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Abdul Razak Dawood, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan and Special Assistant to the PM Lt Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa attended the meeting among others.

The prime minister had formed the NDC for setting of policies and strategies for development, achieving accelerated economic growth, approving long-term planning for national and regional connectivity, and providing guidelines for regional cooperation. The council's first meeting was held in August 2019 after its formation in June that year.

In the past, the premier had said financial resources were provided to Balochistan but they were not properly used for the welfare of its people leaving a large part of the province backward.