QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch said on Tuesday that the Afghan war and the West’s support to the so-called Jihad after Soviet invasion in Afghanistan had badly affected world peace and security situation Pakistan.

The chief minister was talking to Allied Officers from 25 friendly countries who are getting training at the Staff College Quetta during a programme here. He said for poverty alleviation it was necessary to eliminate extremism from the society.

Malik Baloch said better relations between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran were not only in the interest of these three countries, but also for the whole region.

Provincial Minister for Planning and Development Dr Hamid Khan Achakzai, Balochistan Chief Secretary Saifullah Chataha, Additional Chief Secretary Development Ali Zaheer Hazara and provincial secretaries were present on the occasion.

The chief minister said for getting rid of extremism, terrorism and sectarianism it was necessary to address the issues of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. The international community needed to role its role in this connection, otherwise the demon of poverty would continue to fuel terrorism and extremism, he added. He said Pak­is­­­­tan wanted better relations with all countries, particularly with its neighbours.

He said the provincial government was struggling through a democratic way to achieve its rights from the centre. The18th Amendment in the Constitution is a healthy development for empowering provinces and strengthening democracy. “Other than five subjects all other departments have been transferred to provinces, and without the consent of provinces no agreement could be made by the centre,” he added.

Answering questions of the Allied Officers, Malik Baloch said his government was making efforts to ensure the quota of the province in federal services. He said Balochistan had appropriate representation in the centre.

The chief minister said bringing improvement in the law and order situation in the province was the top priority of his government. He said the provincial government was also striving hard to bring improvement in agriculture, livestock, mineral, fishery and mining sectors.

The provincial government had taken various steps for capacity building of police, Levies and other law-enforcement agencies due to which law and order situation in the province had started showing improvement, he added.

He said 2.3 million children were out of schools and the provincial government needed Rs62 billion to open schools and ensure basic facilities, but it had only Rs45 billion in hand.

First time in the history of the province the provincial government had allocated 26 per cent of its budget for the education sector, he said, adding that a huge amount had also been set aside to improve the health sector.

The chief minister said the country was facing energy crisis. The completion of two main transmission lines in the province would improve the situation and would have positive impact on the province’s agriculture sector, he added.

Talking about the Baloch insurgency, Malik Baloch said his government was trying to bring the leaders of Baloch resistance groups to the negotiating table so that issues could be resolved through dialogue. He, however, dispelled the impression that law and order situation was deteriorating in the province and claimed that the situation in Balochistan was comparatively better than the other provinces.

The chief minister said his government would provide every possible security to investors. There are vast opportunities for investors in Balochistan. “We would soon organise Balochistan Forum in Islamabad that would attract investors,” he added.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2014