February 3, 2006	Friday	Muharram 4, 1427

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QUETTA, Feb 2: The Pakistan Workers Federation (PWF) and the Pakistan Wapda Hydro Union (PWHU) have urged the government to resolve all the issues confronting the nation politically because the country is passing through a critical period and the situation in Balochistan is quite disturbing.

Addressing a meeting at the Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) premises on Thursday, the labour leaders of the two trade bodies opposed privatization of profit-earning institutions and urged the government to revive closed industries in Balochistan in order to provide employment to jobless youths. They said that the working class in the country was facing serious problems owing to high rise in prices of basic goods.

PWF’s central secretary Khursheed Ahmed Khan, Sindh chapter secretary Abdul Latif Nizamani, Balochistan secretary Muhammad Ramzan Achakzai, Abdul Salam Baloch and Syed Muhammad Lehri addressed the gathering.

The speakers said unemployment had become a serious problem and the process of downsizing and privatization would aggravate the situation.

They asked the Qesco administration to honour its commitment made to the union to pay 40 per cent allowances similar to the p ayment made by the provincial government to its employees in the interior of the province.

They also demanded security for Qesco employees in rural areas and construction of a hospital for Qesco employees.

KOHLU UPLIFT: Balochistan Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani has said that the government will soon implement Rs1.5 billion ‘Kohlu development package’ announced by President General Pervez Musharraf last month, adds APP.

Talking to a delegation from Kohlu, which was led by tribal chief Sohrab Khan Mari, the governor said preliminary work on the development package had been completed. He said that under the Kohlu development package construction of roads was the top priority of the government. Besides, the government would also implement different development projects aimed at improvement of health, education, sanitation, irrigation and power supply facilities in district Kohlu.

He stressed the need for maintaining peace in the province to ensure continuation of development process without any hurdle. He urged people to cooperate with the government in this regard.

“The government is determined to carry on speedy development of Balochistan at all cost to minimise backwardness of the province and to provide people with all basic amenities”, he said.

Completion of these projects would help resolve public problems besides bringing Balochistan on par with other provinces, he observed.

The delegation thanked President Musharraf and the governor for paying special attention to development of the province and assured the government of their cooperation.—APP