QUETTA: The time is not far away when Balochistan will become the most prosperous province of Pakistan, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said while inaugurating the 300km Kachhi canal project in the Sui area of Dera Bugti on Thursday.

The Kachhi canal project, built at a cost of Rs80 billion, is expected to irrigate around 72,000 acres of barren land in the Sui tehsil area of Balochistan. This project would change the destiny of the residents of Dera Bugti, the prime minister said, while addressing a public gathering held after the inaugural ceremony.

“Pakistan owes it to people of Sui as the entire country benefits from its natural gas,” he said, adding that the government would address issues of water and natural gas in Dera Bugti on priority. “We will not repeat the wrongs done to the people of Balochistan in the past and will work to ease your problems,” he said.

The canal project has been in the works for almost two decades. PM Abbasi recalled that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had initiated it in 1998. While the canal project was approved in 2002 and expected to be built at a cost of Rs50bn, the governments under retired Gen Pervez Musharraf and the Pakistan Peoples Party had paid no attention to the project, he said, adding that as a result of which, it had suffered gross cost overruns and inordinate delays.

Abbasi inaugurates Kachhi canal project, promises to set aside Rs15bn to provide natural gas to each district headquarters

Finally, funds for the canal were released by Mr Sharif, said PM Abbasi. He admitted that the project had faced strong opposition; however, the government realised the importance of the project and the Water and Power Development Authority and the federal government had offered their complete support for it.

He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz did not believe in making hollow promises but worked hard to address people’s problems. The prime minister urged the people of Balochistan to vote for the political parties that had put the country and its largest province on the road to prosperity and progress.

“You have to decide whether you want the development of your country and province...the future of Balochistan is in your hands,” he said, adding that the PML-N was the only political party which had always worked for the development of Pakistan.

Discussing various development projects planned for Balochistan, he said Rs200bn was being spent on various water projects, while several power projects were being built at a cost of Rs25bn. The government had set aside Rs455bn to construct roads and highways in Balochistan, and most of those projects were now complete, he said.

The prime minister announced that Rs15bn would be spent on providing natural gas to each district headquarters of the province.

The federal government was establishing 29 universities in Balochistan, he said, and shared the hope that it would change the destiny of the people of the province. Once Gwadar port was completed, Balochistan would become the most prosperous province of the country, he said.

Referring to Baloch separatists as ‘misled people’, the prime minister urged them to stop defying the government and to add their share in the country’s development.—APP

Saleem Shahid from Quetta adds: Prior to addressing the public gathering, PM Abbasi had unveiled a plaque to mark the inauguration of the project’s first phase.

During his first visit to Quetta three weeks ago, the prime minister had announced the completion of the project’s first phase. The water discharge capacity of the main canal is 6,000 cusecs and 914 structures have been built for the purpose. Of the 363km-long canal, a portion of 351km is lined.

The canal is said to be an essential aspect of the government’s plans to ensure economic development in the remote areas of Balochistan. After its completion, the province will be able to draw its share of water from the Indus river system and will enable local residents to cultivate land.

Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, Federal Ministers retired Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch and Ahsan Iqbal, Provincial Ministers Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal and Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, Opposition leader Maulana Abdul Wasey, the Wapda chairman and senior government officials attended the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2017