September 11, 2008	Thursday	Ramazan 10, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Sept 10: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani directed the Planning Commission on Wednesday not to make any reduction in the development funds and the PSDP for Balochistan.

Addressing members of the Balochistan assembly and provincial ministers at the Prime Minister’s House, Mr Gilani said that the pace of development work in the province should continue at a steady pace.

The lawmakers had apprised the prime minister of the bad financial position of the province and requested him to spare the province from the general cut in its development funds.

According to an official handout, the prime minister said Balochistan had remained neglected and under-developed over the years and the democratic government was eager to accord priority to its development.

Earlier, a delegation led by Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani apprised the prime minister of various problems the province was facing.

Besides economic backwardness, the delegation said, Balochistan’s agriculture had been badly affected by floods and rains and farm-to-market roads had been destroyed.

Also on Wednesday, at a meeting with federal Communications Secretary Saifullah Sherwani, Chief Minister Raisani stressed the need for early completion of under-construction national highway projects in Balochistan.

He said the provincial government would cooperate with the National Highway Authority in this respect.

Mr Sherwani said at present some additional work on the Mekran Coastal Highway was being completed and it was being extended from Gwadar to Gabd. He said 82 per cent work on the Gwadar-Pleri-Jiwani section of the highway has been completed while the Pleri-Gabd section would be completed by the end of the year.