Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said Pakistan will neither allow anyone to use its territory against any other country nor would tolerate if terrorists use foreign soil for their activities in Pakistan.
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He was inaugurating a two-day Balochistan Development Forum in Islamabad on Monday.
Sharif said terror has claimed tens of thousands of lives and caused losses of about $100 billion to the economy. He said the government is committed to wipe out terrorism in all its shades and hues and has adopted a zero tolerance policy against the terrorists. Our operation Zarb-e-Azb and allied counter-terrorism initiatives will help cleanse the country particularly tribal areas, FATA , Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan from violent extremism. He said despite financial constraints, the government is providing substantial funds for the socio-economic uplift and development of Balochistan. The premier said Rs61 billion have been allocated for the province under Public Sector Development Fund during the current financial year which is 37 per cent higher than the last fiscal year. He said Rs15 billion have been earmarked in the annual development programme as a special development package for Balochistan. Sharif said the province lagged behind in socio-economic development due to the neglect of the past.
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Share of Balochistan has been significantly increased from 5.11 percent to 9.9 per cent in the 7th NFC award to ensure steady and predictable flow of resources to the province. The prime minister said Balochistan is central to Pakistan to becoming a regional hub for trade in goods and energy. Its strategic location makes it pivotal both for the east-west as well as for the north-south trade routes. He said Balochistan will be the main beneficiary under the China-Pakistan economic corridor project. He said developing Gwadar port, Gwadar port city and allied infrastructure including a new modern airport will make Gwadar a hub of not only our national but also regional trade. Establishment of free trade zones and special economic zones will underpin its prospects to become an attractive destination for foreign and domestic investment. Sharif said the federal government is also financing and implementing a number of projects to address gaps in infrastructure as well as human development indicators in the province. He said 142 projects in different sectors are being supported in the province through the federal development programme.
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He said the federal government has launched a project costing Rs4 billion in collaboration with the provincial government for construction of houses for quake victims of Awaran district. A 300MW power plant is planned to be set up in Gwadar. Special provision has been made for scholarships for the students of Balochistan under Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e Balochistan package. Sharif said Rs500 million has also been released for establishment of cold storage facility at Turbat. He said Reko Diq has huge copper and gold deposits which will bring in prosperity for the people of the province. He said the federal government is determined to give full support to the provincial government to resolve the issue of Reko Dik at the earliest and to start the project in the shortest possible time. –KhaleejTimes
