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