ISLAMABAD, Oct 30: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday that the government was committed to solving the problems of Balochistan.

“The people of Balochistan have first right over their natural resources and the government will develop the resources in a manner that local people will become stakeholders and partners in the development projects,” he said while talking to a group of intellectuals, writers, professionals and activists from the province at the President’s House.

According to a participant, President Zardari said that previous governments had adopted a step-motherly attitude towards the province and deprived the people of their due rights.

He said that his government was conscious of the problems of Balochistan and would address them on a war footing.

The meeting was held under the auspices of the special committee for reconciliation on Balochistan set up by Mr Zardari a few months back.

The meeting was also attended by Leader of the House in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, Minister for States and Frontier Regions Najmuddin Khan, Interior Adviser Rehman Malik, Secretary of the Balochistan Reconciliation Committee Senator Dr Babar Awan, PPP provincial president Mir Lashkari Raisani and MNA Ijaz Jakhrani.

The president said he was grieved by the devastation caused by Wednesday’s earthquake in the province, adding that the government had directed all agencies to actively take part in rescue, relief and rehabilitation work.

He said that because of the commitment to resolve the Balochistan issue Benazir Bhutto had visited the province on Dec 15 last year, two weeks before her assassination, and made announcements about reconciliation with the people of Balochistan.

“After that the Pakistan People’s Party formally apologised to the people of Balochistan for the excesses committed against them in the past,” he said.

The government, he said, was aware of the poor state of education, health and infrastructure in the province.

“The lack of education is one of the major causes of socio-economic underdevelopment and the government will set up special task force for making recommendations for the educational uplift of the province,” Mr Zardari said.

The president announced the setting up of two universities in Baloch and Pushtoon areas and a medical college for women in the province.

The government, he said, had decided to adopt the public-private partnership model for Gwadar under which the people of the area would be the direct beneficiaries of development.