QUETTA: Balochistan Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Sardar Mohammad Saleh Bhootani has said that the future of the country is linked with development in Balochistan as the province was rich in natural resources.

Speaking at a gathering of the Baloc­histan Awami Student Federa­tion here on Sunday, he said that instead of giving guns to the youth, the Balochistan Awami Party was educating them and providing them best possible educational facilities so that they could become an asset for the country.

Mr Bhootani said that interest and participation of the young people in politics was a positive sign and student unions were an important part of any political party and no political party could succeed without them.

He said the Balochistan Awami Party was a plant “we planted ourselves and this plant has begun to bear fruit very quickly”.

He said there were some political parties where there was no place for any person other than the same ethnic group or caste, but Balochistan Awami Party was like a bouquet in which all nationalities of the province were represented and were flourishing.

“We want to empower the young people to make the province and the country great. We will not allow the youth of the province to be used as a tissue paper by anybody,” Mr Bhootani declared.

He said his party would not let future generation of the province to be a victim of passionate, sentimental and hollow slogans.

“We will continue our struggle for the rights of masses of Balochistan as the country’s development is linked to development of Balochistan,” he said.

“The Gwadar Port, mineral resources, the coastal belt and Reko Diq project of the province are our assets. We are ready to give sacrifices for the integrity and solidarity of the country, but we will not allow anyone to usurp the rights of the people of Balochistan on these resources,” the minister said.

He paid tribute to members of security forces who had sacrificed their lives to protect the country from enemies.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2019

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