QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo on Friday said Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif was paying special attention on Balochistan’s development which was a positive sign for the province.

He was addressing a ceremony held on the arrival of the prime minister’ at Gwadar.

Apart from federal and provincial ministers, Chinese officials, Gwadar dignitaries and fishermen, relevant federal and provincial officials were also present on the occasion.

Bizenjo said if the federal government did not focus on Balochistan, the condition of the province would not change in 100 years while it was gratifying that the prime minister had included Balochistan in the list of his priorities.

The chief minister said in order to end Balochistan’s problems, its budgetary share was needed to be increased otherwise poverty could force Baloch people fell prey to the ill motives of external forces which had been creating unrest in the province.

He said that we had have high expectations from the PM as he had worked for the development of Punjab. “We are sure that he would play an active role for the development of Balochistan, too,” he added.

Bizenjo said the PM’s visit to Gwadar was of utmost importance saying that the federal and provincial governments had been working together to promote the fisheries sector and implement various schemes for the welfare of fishermen.

He said in order to make Gwadar Port a success, the process of development would be accelerated by creating a tax-free zone on the pattern of Chahbahar Port.

He said development of Gwadar could help Pakistan progress and it would prove to be an industrial and commercial hub of the country in the future.

The CM said that the total cost of the rehabilitation project of Gwadar Old Town was Rs 3305 million for which federal and provincial governments were providing funds on equal basis.

“The provincial government had allocated Rs 1652 million for this project in the budget, while plans to connect different villages of Gwadar with Coastal Highway at a cost of Rs 900 million and to link different villages of the area with M-8 at a cost of Rs 700 million were included in the Provincial PSDP”, he mentioned.

The CM said Rs 700 million were allocated for the provision of facilities in educational institutions of Gwadar, and upgradation of DHQ Gwadar.

Scheme and plan for setting up of Software Technology Park in Gwadar had also been included in the budget. The Assembly had legislated the formation of Fisheries Force and the government would provide 2,000 boat engines to the local fishermen, he added.

He said that in maritime boundaries unnecessary check posts on uninterrupted trawling and national highways have been abolished. However, he requested the prime minister to remove unnecessary check posts of Customs and Coast Guard.

He said regarding Balochistan government performance that more than 200 important decisions were approved through seven meetings saying that the Provincial Assembly passed 25 important bills.

He said and added that a farmer card has been issued and green tractors were being provided to the deserving farmers through installments in order to enhance capacity of agriculture sector.

He said that fair and transparent elections of local bodies have been held in the province. He said that the provincial government has issued health cards which will provide free treatment to1.8 million families up to Rs.1 million.

He said that endowment fund has been set up at a cost of Rs. 2 billion for providing technical education to the youth of Balochistan, saying that Makran University and Agriculture College were being set up in Panjgur for provision of higher education.

The CM said that the provincial government had presented a budget of Rs.612 billion in which Rs.192 billion had been allocated for development projects out of which Rs 59 billion was kept for 3470 new development projects.

He said that priority has been given to the sectors of communication, health and education in the provincial budget of the new financial year and thousands of new jobs have been created which would help in eliminating unemployment.

He said that Balochistan was facing severe power shortage as agriculture and other sectors were experiencing difficulties due to non-availability of electricity in the province as per its quota.

However, due to shortage of electricity, crops and orchards were not getting adequate water.

He urged the PM to pay special attention to resolve the power issue, adding that the Chaman-Quetta-Karachi highway project was a fulfillment of the PM’s promise.

He hoped that the PM would take all possible steps to ensure timely completion of the project to facilitate the people of Balochistan.

He also requested to the PM to resolve the issues of Sui Gas Lease and Border Trade as soon as possible.

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