QUETTA: The Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) would form the next government in Balochistan in alliance with other political parties, including nationalist parties, Senate Deputy Chairman Maulana Ghafoor Haideri, who is also the secretary general of the JUI-F, said at a press conference here on Thursday.

He said the JUI-F had formed a five-member committee to work out seat adjustments ahead of the 2018 general elections.

The JUI-F has the potential of taking the reins of power in the country, he added.

On the armed clash along the Pak-Afghan border, Maulana Haideri said the Afghan government was acting at the behest of India, which would not bode well for it.

To mark the political party’s centenary, the JUI-F organised gatherings around the world to send a message of peace and fraternity, he said. Muslim majority countries, all over the world, had suffered excessive interference in their affairs, he lamented, adding that Pakistan was riddled with corruption and terrorism which had left a negative impact on the economy. The looting would not allow Pakistan to develop, he said.

While development budgets were utilised efficiently in other provinces, the sizeable budgetary allocation for Balochistan had been left untouched, claimed Maulana Haideri. Balochistan’s problems have persisted since Partition but its rulers have done nothing but fill their pockets, he added.

This needed to stop, he said. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would open floodgates of wealth for Pakistan to the benefit of the masses, he said. However, he cautioned that if the CPEC did not bring with it economic and industrial zones for Balochistan, the province would be deprived of a huge opportunity for development. He also stressed the need for a wise strategy in this regard.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2017