QUETTA: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said that fast socio-economic development of the people of Balochistan is the top priority of the PML-N government.

Speaking at the fifth Annual Parents Day of Military College Sui, Dera Bugti, on Saturday, he termed his presence at the ceremony despite a difficult situation back in Islamabad a testimony to the federal government’s commitment to mainstreaming the youth of Balochistan educationally, socially, economically and politically.

“The youth of Balochistan are very talented and they are proving their potential by shinning in various fields,” Mr Iqbal said, adding that the government was empowering the youth with education, skills and digital tools as they were the future leaders of the country.

Interior minister says govt wants socio-economic development of people

He said the government had been pursuing the inclusive development model of Vision 2025, which was aimed at taking the country into top 25 economies of the world.

“Today, the world is acknowledging the country’s progress in economic, energy and security fields,” the interior minister said.

He said that the government had injected a new life into some dead projects which had been buried in files because of non-availability of funds, adding that Kachhi Canal was one such project and it was now a reality and would benefit the people of Balochistan and make cultivable up to 72,000 acres of barren land in Dera Bugti.

Mr Iqbal said that around 10,000-kilometre-long highways and roads were under construction in the province with the federal government’s funding.

He said there was no connectivity between Gwadar and upper parts of the country, adding because of that the port city remained neglected and under-developed and could not yield any socio-economic dividend to its people.

Now, he said, Gwadar had been connected with upper parts of the country through different road projects completed in record time of three years. Because of construction of these roads the distance between Gwadar and Quetta had been reduced from two days to just eight hours.

The interior minister said that roads’ construction provided the much-needed connectivity with other parts of the country and generated economic activities and led to improvement in socio-economic conditions of people.

He said since 2013 the federal government had not only emphasised building roads and energy projects, but also doubled the budget of the Higher Education Commission to improve the standard of education in the country.

The minister said in order to ensure access to higher education for all, the federal government was building campuses or sub-campuses in universities in every district of the country.

Mr Iqbal, who is also the head of the Planning Commission of Pakistan, said that Balochistan was a direct beneficiary of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The project would equip the province with necessary infrastructure and energy resources to improve socio-economic conditions of its people.

The interior minister distributed medals, trophies and prizes among best performing students.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2017