QUETTA: President Mamnoon Hussain has said all sections of the society should support government’s efforts to combat terrorism and establish peace in the country.

Speaking at the eighth convocation of the Bolan Medical College (BMC) at the Governor House here on Friday, he said their noble profession demanded of the doctors that they serve people with dedication and determination.

The convocation was being held at the BMC after a gap of 10 years. At the event 471 medical graduates were awarded MBBS degrees and 41 position holders gold medals.

Balochistan Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai, Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Commander of Southern Command Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua, provincial ministers, MPAs, Balochistan University Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Iqbal, Balochistan Chief Secretary Nasir Chattha and IG Police Mohammad Amlish were present on the occasion.

President Hussain congratulated the graduates and the position holders and urged them to serve people in their native towns.

He said the maternal mortality and infant mortality rates were higher in Balochistan than in other provinces and added that doctors there should try to decrease the rates.

Mr Hussain underlined the need for rooting out corruption from society and said youths had a role to play in making the society corruption-free.

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People involved in corruption should be exposed. “The society should socially boycott people involved in corruption,” he remarked.

The president said that establishment of military courts to deal with cases of terrorism was the need of the hour. For the establishment of permanent peace in the country, he added, all sections of the society would have to play their role.

He said the people and politicians, irrespective of their political affiliation, would have to support the government and the military to end terrorism in the country permanently.

He said the main reason for backwardness in Balochistan was corruption, alleging that funds provided by the federal government to the province had not been utilised for the development of people in the past.

He paid homage to the students and teachers who had lost their lives in the terrorist attack on a Peshawar school. The government was determined to rid the country of the menace of terrorism and extremism and had decided to use all its resources in the fight against militancy. “The concerted strategy adopted by the government would make Pakistan strong, invincible and peaceful,” he added.

Mr Hussain said that development in Balochistan had always been the top priority of the federal government and that the centre was keen to solve problems of the province.

He hoped that Balochistan would soon be a prosperous and developed province.

The president praised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for taking special interest in resolving the issues of Balochistan and taking practical steps for the development of the province.

He said security and revival of the national economy were the two biggest challenges before the government. Despite its financial difficulties, the government was trying to improve the standard of the life of people, he added.

Earlier, Mr Hussain held a meeting with provincial ministers, lawmakers, political leaders, tribal elders, professors, doctors, lawyers and members of the civil society at the Governor House.

On the occasion, he said the Pak-China Economic Corridor project would boost economic activities in the region which would open doors of progress and prosperity in Balochistan, adding that the province would be the biggest beneficiary of the project.

He said the energy crisis in the country would be eased by 2018 as the government had initiated a number of power generation projects.

The president said Balochistan was rich in natural resources and the federal government was ready to extend full cooperation to the provincial government to benefit from these resources.

He stressed the need for improving security situation in Balochistan to create an investment-friendly environment in the province. A number of foreign companies wanted to invest in Balochistan, but they were concerned over the bad security situation in the province, he said.

Those who attended the meeting included Nawab Ayaz Khan Jogezai, Nawab Ghaus Bakhsh Barozai, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, Abdul Raheem Ziaratwal, Mir Asim Kurd, Anwarul Haq Kakar, Eng Farooq Bazai, Dr Saadat Khan, Usman Kakar, Kamran Murtaza, Surayya Allah Din and Obaidullah Khan Babat.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2014