Ministers slam cut in special package

Walk out of NEC, APCC meetings in protest

ISLAMABAD:

Balochistan ministers on Wednesday protested in the National Economic Council (NEC) and Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) over cuts in the special package and non-inclusion of developmental projects in the province’s budgetary allocation and staged a walkout from the meeting over lack of assurance from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Addressing a news conference in the federal capital, Balochistan senior minister Noor Muhammad spoke about the NEC and APCC meetings. He said that no project for Balochistan’s development had been included in the upcoming budget, adding that the premiers in the past made promises to address their concerns. He said the special package was meant for Balochistan’s affected areas and questioned why province’s shares were being cut from it.

He lamented that everyone talked about releasing funds but no one took practical steps in this regard.

The minister recalled that Balochistan’s shares were also cut from the special package at a time when Shehbaz Sharif was the Punjab chief minister.

Speaking on the occasion, Balochistan government spokesperson Farah Azeem Shah highlighted that the province was the future of Pakistan and that the country could not progress by ignoring it. She said Balochistan was full of mineral resources, adding that everyone was aware of the importance of the Reko Dik and other projects in the province.