QUETTA: Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani warned that Balochistan will break from Pakistan not because of a handful of extremists fighting the State but due to the apathy of policy makers sitting in Islamabad who had been fueling hatred by not implementing decisions made by President and Prime Minister on the development of Balochistan.
The Chief Minister, while discussing the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-Balochistan package with Federal Minister Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, said “the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package has become Kagaz, paper, Huqooq-i-Balochistan since it is not being implemented in its letter and spirit.” He added that “the bureaucrats in Islamabad are fueling the hatred by not paying any heed to the announcements and promises made by the President and the Prime Minister for the development of Balochistan.”
Federal Minister for Communications Arbab Alamgir, Chief Secretary Balochistan Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad, Federal Secretary Finance, Federal Secretary Communications, Federal Secretary Planning Commission and Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) were also present on the occasion.
Raisani who has been criticising the federal government of late, blamed policy makers for deliberately ignoring crucial projects of Balochistan and not releasing the funds on time.
“President inaugurated the Vindar Dam but funds for its construction are yet to be released. Similarly, Gwadar was declared a “Duty Free Zone” but a notification in this connection has so far not been issued,” Chief Minister told the Federal Minister. “Though I belong to the ruling PPP, but first I am Balochi and I have to face my people if the announcements and promises are not fulfilled,” he lamented.
“How we will we convince the people to vote for the PPP in the next general elections if the pressing issues were ignored.”
He said the Federal Government is not paying the required attention to resolve problems of the province that the people were expecting of them.
The Chief Minister demanded of the President and Prime Minister to take notice that why the concerned officials were not implementing their announcements/orders.
Federal Minister for Communications Arbab Alamgir admitted that the Federal Government has not released the funds for the construction of highways in Balochistan.
However, Federal Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh assured the Chief Minister that the Federal Government will make its utmost efforts to release maximum funds for Balochistan. “The government will release funds for construction of highways by June 2012,” the Chief Minister was told.
The meeting also decided to priorities some important projects of national highways in Balochistan. An informal committee comprising Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary and Chairman NHA was constituted to look into the projects.
Chief Minister said that merely 5,000 people were recruited under Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package and ironically provincial government was asked to regularise these employees and pay their salaries from the provincial exchequer. The Federal Government promised that it will bear the expenses and pay the salaries when package was announced, the Chief Minister complained.
COMMENTS (11)
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All comments should start with common ground. Is it accepted that Baloch is are entitled to same quality of life as anyone else in Pakistan...or Asia....or the World. Then ask if this has happened. Next, list all causes. The blame-game should come with proofs, not mere assertions....and cheap abuse.
Stop making a escape goat out of CM and acknowledge the Gross Criminal Neglect towards Balochistan !!!
Well wait..........Raisani you and the other Baloch waderas are responsible for making the situation worse for your own ppl!!! You get funds and are responsilbe how you invest them on useful projects. Now dont come up and blame the punjabis or others for the mess you have created!
He is Baloch for 5000 years, Muslim for 1000 years and Pakistani for 65 years. You may not get this as you are occupier of Baloch land
@SM: offcourse he's baloch first, then raisani, the mustungi, then muslim, then sunni, then deobandi, then tableeghi, then pakistani, then balochistani, then jiyala, then MPA, then CM, then father, then son, then brother, then uncle, the grandpa, then neighbour, what a stupid question.
Could this be an opportune time to privatise our good-for-nothing bureaucracy ? To then reward the private contractors based on the increase in GNP as a result of their activities ? This would get rid of the neolithic civil service institutions which have remained much as they were since the days of British India...deliberately designed not to innovate or think for themselves but instead to maintain the status quo (the thinking was done by the Goras).
They are brilliant at maintenance. For example, Nathia Gali is the same today as it was 50 years ago. Sadly, even our revered military is much the same in their blind worship of traditions (which were again designed by the Gora officers of the British Indian army).
Is it a fear of failure which prevents us from thinking for ourselves ? It is a fact of life that behind every innovation lies several unsuccessful attempts. There is no shame in failure, its simply the crossing out of one possibility, to turn attention to another.
Shame on you CM...It took 5 years for u to utter that federal government is not issuing funds...if you could not fetch funds for the province being a CM then why were u holding the position if u were so incapable...You can't make people fool anymore...Stop this crap now..
Well said Mr Raisani. And thank you USA for fomenting unrest in Baluchistan. Hopefully the threat of secession will concentrate minds wonderfully in Islamabad and make them act IMMEDIATELY to lay the foundations of modern cities in both KP and Baluchistan to rival Karachi and Lahore, ie infrastructure, educational, industrial, power generation, medical etc facilities. This should have been done decades ago. Its a crying shame that these regions are as under-developed as they are, and that their populations are forced to contribute so little to the national economy.
What on earth were the Planning Commissions, departments of agriculture, WAPDA etc doing for all these years ?
And please Mr Panetta, kindly stir up things in KP as well to move our bureaucrats even further off their backsides.
Well said cheap minister for the firdt time in his life.
Raisani, are you Baloch first or Muslim first?