Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani meeting with Governor Balochistan Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi and Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani in Quetta on Sunday. Federal Minister for Interior Senator A. Rehman Malik is also present on the occasion. – Online Photo

QUETTA: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said he hopes the efforts being made by the government will trace the missing people and help them to return to their homes.

At a meeting held here on Sunday on the law and order situation in Balochistan, he said he was satisfied with the progress made in recovering missing persons.

He said the government was ready to hold talks with angry Baloch leaders in order to restore peace in the province.

The prime minister said he would visit Balochistan every month to review the law and order situation and the pace of work on development projects.

The federal cabinet will hold its next meeting in Quetta and a federal minister will visit the provincial capital every week to meet people and solve their problems.

Speaking at the meeting, Interior Minister Rehman Malik accused outside forces of destabilizing the province.

The prime minister called for enhancing coordination between federal and provincial departments and timely completion of development schemes.

He said the federal government would pay Rs4 billion and the province Rs3 billion subsidy to farmers in Balochistan as subsidy for tube-wells.

He announced that the government would release Rs2 billion and the interior ministry Rs1 billion for the federal and provincial law-enforcements agencies to improve their performance.

He asked security agencies to maintain strict vigilance to prevent foreigners from illegally entering the country from Afghanistan.

PPI adds: The prime minister was informed that 41 of 144 missing people had returned to their homes, false cases against 38 had been withdrawn and several others had been traced.

He said federal law-enforcement agencies would train provincial police and Levies.

Opinion

Editorial

Climate action
Updated 24 Mar, 2025

Climate action

Waiting for outside help to arrive will only aggravate our climate challenges and not mitigate them.
TB burden
24 Mar, 2025

TB burden

AS the world observes World Tuberculosis Day, we confront the sombre fact that despite being both preventable and...
Unsafe passages
24 Mar, 2025

Unsafe passages

WRETCHED social conditions add an extra layer of cruelty to ordinary lives. The UN’s migration agency says that...
Judicial disputes
Updated 23 Mar, 2025

Judicial disputes

Public perceptions of the institution’s independence and neutrality have taken a hit due to bitter, public spats between senior judges.
Biased proposal
23 Mar, 2025

Biased proposal

PAKISTAN’S tax system is extortionist, unpredictable and unsupportive of investment and economic growth. It...
JFK files
23 Mar, 2025

JFK files

THE latest cache of declassified documents from what are known as the ‘Kennedy files’ have not really impressed...