A day after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) pledged to take up the Balochistan issue as a priority, the party’s efforts to portray itself as the vanguard of the reconciliation process suffered a serious setback.
According to sources in both the Punjab and Balochistan governments, the former is likely to back out from previously announced development projects in the violence-plagued province.
Fearing a threat to their lives, no one from the Punjab administration is ready to work in Balochistan or even participate in bidding, sources in both governments informed The Express Tribune. The Punjab government, run by the PML-N, has formally informed the Balochistan administration that the current uprising in the troubled province has forced them to reconsider all of their projects.
The main project in question is the proposed Cardiology Centre in Quetta. According to government data, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had announced the construction of the centre in 2008 and had allocated Rs2 billion from the provincial budget as well as 20 acres of land located near Quetta’s Bolan Medical College.
Well-placed sources in the health department told The Express Tribune that the National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak) was initially recruited to supervise the project. The deteriorating security situation indicates, however, that, for the immediate future, development projects will remain scarce. A Turkish company that had shown interest in constructing the cardiology centre backed out given the adverse law and order situation.
Damage control
Perhaps aware that the move takes away credibility from the PML-N’s recently-announced pledge to better the lot of Balochistan, the Punjab government tried to carry out some damage control. Sources said the provincial administration told the Balochistan authorities that when PML-N comes to power, it will fulfil all its commitments to the Baloch according to the promises made by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister for Health Khwaja Salman Rafique told The Express Tribune that he would investigate the reasons behind the delay in the implementation of the projects. He pointed out, however, that the security situation in Balochistan was rapidly deteriorating – and fixed responsibility for the uprising on the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government.
Balochistan lashes out
The Punjab government’s anticipation of a backlash was not unfounded.
Balochistan Health Minister Haji Ali Madad Jattak lashed out at the chief minister, saying that four years had lapsed but Sharif’s promises remained unfulfilled – Balochistan is yet to see a cardiology centre as well as a promised kidney centre.
Shahbaz Sharif was not the only one to receive flak from the health minister. PML-N President Nawaz Sharif also came under fire when Jattak said his promise to address the grievances of the Baloch were “hollow”. He added that if Nawaz couldn’t even construct a hospital in Balochistan, then the possibility of his other claims materialising was even less likely.
His criticisms did not stop there – Jattak made his disdain clear when he said the Sharifs were merely playing politics with the people of Balochistan through empty announcements, which were taking advantage of an aggrieved populace.
The provincial health minister also expressed frustration at the immobility of funds, saying the Punjab government also had the option of transferring the money allocated for the cardiology centre to the cash-strapped Balochistan administration, but refused to do so.
This is not the only project that affects Balochistan, to be delayed.
While the Punjab government has increased the quota of Baloch students in Punjab’s educational institutions, it is yet to construct the much-anticipated Ghazi University near the Balochistan border in South Punjab. The Punjab chief minister had announced that half of the total strength of the university’s students would be from Balochistan and would receive free education.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2012.
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@WB: I think you forget that the Punjab is the best governed and best maintained province in Pakistan. Ask yourself why or better still ask yourself why the Punjab CM is so well respected in the province for the hard work he does in uplifting the province. And I don't blame the provincial government of Punjab if criminals from Afghanistan are causing trouble in Baluchistan.
The health minister of Blochistan should be wise enough to refrain from rocking the boat.Punjabis living peacefully over there are being killed ruthlessly without reason.We don't want our people to go there & get killed. Blochs are their own worst enemies.The promised funds for development projects cannot & should not be transferred to Blocistan government unless situation improves & it cannot improve so long as they keep playing in the hands of our adversaries.
@pakistanibaloch: Ghazwa america is already going on in Afghanistan, how much are u helping there, r u? so how can u stop it from coming to u.
Azad Balochsitan is the way forward.
let balochistab b a separate country so we can mine our gold, marble, copper, iron and the list goes on and on.
It can become another UAE of the area and poor Pakis can also work there and the skilled Pakis can get jobs there.
WB i do not agree with you, they are doing good work then others
What a joke these Sharifs are; why don't they focus on Punjab instead of making false promises. It is the people of Punjab that elected the "N" and there is lawlessness all over Punjab especially in the South; even the capital Lahore is not so secure not to mention satellite towns of Shekupura and Shahdarah, these areas are well known as criminal hide-outs. The Sharifs have completely failed.
Donot take any tention.. balochistan is and will remain the part of pakistan ,,,this is only threat for nato supply .....if something will happen we will start "ghazwa-e-hind and ghazwa-e-america :)
International powers and agencies and neighboring countries are full prepared to hit the Iron. Those who can run away their assesses should move fast as their is very little time left. Do not forget that Baluchistan boundaries are touching Karachi also.
Federal and Gov. of Baluchistan should and pay is highest attention to eradicate violence
We need fast action instead of slowing down whatever positive happening. We need to win hearts and minds of Baluchi brothers through positive gestures. Only then we can fix wrong doers who bank on Baluchistan's grievances.
Unfortunately, the law and order situation in Baluchistan is being supported by agents send by foreign sources across the porous Afghani border. Until law and order is restored, why should anyone condemn the Punjab government when the Turkish company too will not construct there? I am sure that the Punjab CM is genuine in wanting to make the Cardiology Institute but as we have all seen, the anti state miscreants working for foreign agencies do not hesitate to attack the gas lines supplying even Quetta with fuel. These criminals are working to impoverish the people in Baluchistan and do not want anyone to improve things- be it from Punjab or any other place. The army needs to have a zero tolerance policy to these anti state criminals who are hurting the Baluch as well as other Pakistanis.