QUETTA: National Assem­­bly’s Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri has said that Balochistan’s provincial capital needed long-term planning to resolve issues of massive traffic, water shortage, power supply interruptions and infrastructure.

Speaking at a Meet the Press programme of the Quetta Press Club, on Wednesday, Mr Suri said that the federal and provincial governments were both taking concrete steps to provide relief to the masses and resolve their problems.

He said that for the first time in the history of Balochistan, the provincial government included development projects after holding consultations with all stakeholders, including opposition members.

Referring to problems pilgrims of Balochistan face while going for Haj, he said that the federal government, with the cooperation of the Saudi government, had started immigration process in all major cities of Pakistan to make their travel to the holy land hassle-free and more comfortable.

He said he had always tried to let members of the National Assembly raise issues of Balochistan on a priority basis on the floor of the house.

“Being a representative of Quetta, I have always tried to let members of Balochistan raise issues of the masses on the floor of the house to address them on a priority basis.”

Mr Suri said that the federal government had allocated funds for Burj Aziz dam and that would be helpful to end to a large extent the water shortage being faced by the people of Quetta.

He said that he, along with Sardar Akhtar Mengal, was working to ensure implementation of the six per cent quota of Balochistan in federal government jobs.

Referring to the issue of electricity, he said that the matter had been almost addressed in Balochistan, but urged elected members to ensure recovery of electricity bills in their constituencies.

He said that agriculture fields of the province were gradually being shifted to solar power so that they could get uninterrupted power supply.

In reply to a question about no-trust motion against Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Mr Suri termed the move a bad omen, saying that Mr Sanjrani had been running the affairs of the Senate neutrally and there was no need to oust him.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2019