QUETTA: Balochistan Information Minister Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal has urged European Union and donor agencies to provide funds for rural development in the province.

He was speaking at a ceremony held here on Wednesday to distribute prizes among winners of a documentary contest. The function was jointly organised by the Balochistan Rural Support Programme (BRSP) and the Quetta Press Club.

The minister said it was only propaganda that law and order situation in Balochistan was adverse, adding that peace had been restored in the province to considerable extent and efforts were being made to improve the situation.

He said certain elements had launched the propaganda to keep donors and investors away from Balochistan and had succeeded in their designs.

He alleged that the Centre had adopted an indifferent attitude towards Balochistan and kept the province backward.

After the improvement in law and order situation, Mr Ziaratwal said, a conducive and free of fear atmosphere had been created in the province for investment and development activities.

“The government will assist donors and investors who come to Balochistan,” he said.

He thanked the European Union for funding the rural support programme and expressed the hope that it would continue its support and assistance in order to provide basic amenities to people in far-flung areas.

Bernard Francois, the representative of the EU, assured the minister that the union would continue its help and cooperation in rural development projects.

He urged the media to highlight development works undertaken by the government and other organisations in Balochistan.

He observed that the media was only portraying negative aspects of Pakistan and ignoring development activities.

He urged the media to highlight problems being faced by people ‘instead of giving coverage to politics and indulging in negative journalism’.

Additional Chief Secre­tary, Planning and Develop­ment, Nasibullah Bazai, spoke about prospects of development in Balochistan and said the province had great potential in different sectors.

He said Balochistan needed dams to store rainwater through which more than 30 million acres of cultivatable land could be used for farming.

Nadir Gul, chief executive of the BRSP, highlighted achievements of the programme and said that the organisation would continue development work in rural areas of the province.

Adviser to CM Obaidullah Babat, QPC president Shahzada Zulfiqar, spokesman of the Balochistan government Anwarul Haq Kakar, Director General of Public Relations Abdul Latif Kakar and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2016