QUETTA: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has announced that all cities and towns of Balochistan would be provided with natural gas within three years.

After inaugurating the 404MW Uch-II power plant in Dera Murad Jamali on Friday, the prime minister said Balochistan would not be neglected anymore and that the province would be developed on priority basis.

Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Senior Minister Sardar Sanaullah Zehri and former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali were present on the occasion.

The Uch-II project, an independent power plant (IPP), has been constructed by a French company, GDF SUEZ.

“Every city of Balochistan will get natural gas in three years,” Mr Sharif said, adding that the task had been assigned to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will monitor the project.

Mr Sharif said Balochistan was badly neglected in past, but his government would take steps to develop it on a priority basis. “The present democratic government will utilise all resources for the development of Balochistan to remove the sense of deprivation prevailing among its people,” he said.

Balochistan was rich in natural resources and had good human resources, but these resources were never utilised for its development, the prime minister regretted. “We will utilise all resources for the development of Balochistan,” Mr Sharif said.

The prime minister announced that two separate transmission lines would be installed in Balochistan to provide electricity to Nasirabad and Sibi divisions from the Uch-II project.

He said the project was significant for two reasons: first, it was constructed in Balochistan and second, it would use natural gas instead of expensive liquid fuel, saving foreign exchange. The project would contribute 404MW of electricity to the national grid.

The prime minister invited GDF SUEZ to invest more in the country’s energy. The French company had been a reliable energy partner of Pakistan for many years and it was playing a role in the socio- economic development of Balochistan, he added.

Mr Sharif said GDF SUEZ could also make investment in the Gadani power park recently initiated by the present government. The Gadani project would have six coal-based power plants.

Mr Sharif said Pakistan was facing serious energy crisis that had badly affected its development. However, he added, the present government was making all out efforts to overcome this crisis.

He mentioned the steps his government had taken to overcome the energy crisis, including clearing of Rs500 billion in circular debt, initiation of work on the Neelum Jhelum and Nandipur projects. The two would inject 959MW and 425MW to the national grid.

The prime minister said efforts were under way to start construction of Diamir-Bhasha and Waso dams. The country needed around 24,000MW of electricity while at present its production was around 15,000MW. However, he added, in five to seven years power generation in the country would be more than the demand.

Mr Sharif said democracy was flourishing in the country and that democracy had an automatic system of accountability.

The prime minister was accompanied by Federal Minister for Information Pervez Rasheed, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resource Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Minister of State Abid Sher Ali, Balochistan Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad and Federal Secretary for Water and Power Saifullah Chatha.