QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has expressed concern over Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan leader Owais Noorani’s speech at the public meeting organised by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in the city on Sunday in which he talked about making Balochistan a separate state.

In a statement issued on Twitter late on Sunday night, the chief minister asked the PDM leadership whose narrative they were promoting at their rally. “It was a public meeting of the PDM or BJP?” he asked.

Chief Minister Alyani, who has been quarantined at his residence after he was tested positive for coronavirus one week ago, asked the PDM leadership to stop calling Balochistan a small province. He said all provinces in Pakistan were equal.

“The thinking of PDM leadership shows that they consider Balochistan a small province. Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan,” he pointed out.

The chief minister condemned the bomb blast in the Hazarganji area and expressed grief over the martyrdom of three innocent people. He directed the health authorities to provide best possible medical treatment to the injured.

Mr Alyani said that protection of life and property and providing jobs to people was priority of his government and all steps were being taken to eliminate terrorism from the province.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2020