QUETTA, Aug 7: Federal Minister for Communications Mohammad Shamim Siddiqui has said that in the vision of President Musharraf Baloc-histan has the first priority where development projects are concerned and the federal government would spend Rs100 billion in the province during the next ten years.

Accompanied by the chairman of the National Highway Authority (NHA), Major Gen Farrukh Javed, the federal minister told newsmen at a press conference at the press club on Monday that the local population would benefit the most once the Gwadar port started functioning.

He said that the NHA was concentrating on completing national highways, including the Kalat-Quetta-Chaman one, adding that it would also be connecting Dera Ismail Khan with Zhob via Mughalkot.

To a query, the minister said owing to a large amount of work load on the two ports in Karachi the government wanted to shift the pressure to the Gwadar port.