Govt determined to address problems of Balochistan on war footing: President
ISLAMABAD
:
President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday said the government was deeply conscious of the problems of Balochistan and was
determined to address them on war footing.
He stated this while addressing a cross section of intellectuals, writers, professionals and activists from the Balochistan
province here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr today.
The meeting was called under the auspices of the Special Committee for Reconciliation on Balochistan set up few months back
by the Co-Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party.
The meeting was also attended by Leader of the House in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, Federal Minister for States and
Frontier Regions Najmudin Khan, Interior Advisor Rehman Malik, Secretary of the Committee Senator Dr. Babar Awan,
Provincial PPP President Mir Lashkari Raisani and Ijaz Jhakrani.
The President said that he was deeply grieved over the devastation caused by earthquake in the province and said that the
government had geared up all agencies for rescue, relief and rehabilitation of the affected people.
He said that it was a measure of the commitment of the present government to solve the Balochistan problems in right
earnest that Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto visited the province on December 15 last year, two weeks before her assassination, and
made far reaching announcements about reconciliation with the people of Balochistan.
After that the Pakistan Peoples Party also formally apologized to the people of Balochistan over the excesses committed
against them in the past, he said.
President Zardari said the Prime Minister had also accorded priority to Balochistan issues in his address to the
Parliament.
The President said that the government was quite aware of the poor state of education, health and infrastructure in the
province.
Saying that poor education was one of the major causes of socio-economic under development, the President declared that the
government will set up special Task Force for making recommendations for the educational uplift of the province.
The President also announced the setting up of two new universities and a Medical College for Women in the province. The
President made this announcement in response to a demand for setting up one new university each in the Baloch and Pushtoon
areas.
He said that he was conscious of the acute sense of deprivation among the people of Balochistan and that was why he had set
up special Committee on Balochistan and decided to meet representatives of the province to enable them vent their
grievances and offer doable suggestions.
The President said that the people of Balochistan had first right over their natural resources.
The government will develop those resources in a manner that made the local people also stakeholders and partners in the
development projects, he added.
The President said that the government had decided to adopt the public private partnership model in Gawadar so that the
people of area were the direct beneficiaries of Gawadar development.
A number of Baloch intellectuals also spoke and highlighted problems faced by the people ranging from unemployment,
education, poverty and poor infrastructure.
Those who spoke on the occasion included Amanullah Gichki, Dr. Shanaz Baloch, Ms. Nargis Baloch, Dr. Badal Khan, Hakim
Baloch, Siddique Baloch, Bhadur Khan Rodini and Mrs. Fazila Iliyanu.
