CM charts Balochistan’s path to progress

QUETTA:

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo emphasized a pragmatic and collaborative approach, urging against futile criticism in favor of a unified action plan for the province’s development. He refuted the notion that only Balochistan’s population had been inaccurately represented in the census. Regarding the new digital census, he dismissed the criticism from certain political circles, suggesting they also reflect on the methodologies of the 1998 and 2017 censuses.

Bizenjo emphasized the need to identify those accountable for the harm caused to Balochistan due to the previous lack of accurate census data. Acknowledging the acceptance of the new census based on factual analysis, Bizenjo stressed that Balochistan’s challenges couldn’t be resolved solely by a minor increase in National Assembly seats. He advocated for Senate empowerment, allowing provinces to be equally represented, which would ultimately secure their rights within the federation.

Bizenjo underlined the importance of a comprehensive resource allocation formula for the National Finance Commission (NFC), encompassing factors beyond just population. He advocated for the inclusion of criteria like area underdevelopment and law and order conditions, which could potentially benefit Balochistan’s share in the NFC. He called upon the province’s political parties to unite in a common struggle to secure their rightful place within the federation. The chief minister emphasized that Balochistan’s population growth rate had outpaced other provinces, reinforcing the necessity to strengthen the Senate as a platform for equitable representation.