QUETTA: Provincial Minister for Social Welfare and Special Education Mir Asad Baloch on Wednesday said that the federal government was not serious about resolution of problems pointed out by the members of the Balochistan Assembly.

He said the provincial assembly had passed resolutions on several issues, including high number of accidents on the highways linking Balochistan with the rest of the country, smuggling of fruits and vegetables from Iran and construction of a double carriageway from Chaman to Quetta, but the federal government did nothing to resolve these issues.

Mr Baloch said Balochistan and its issues were not included in the priorities of the federal government. Prime Minister Imran Khan had promised to approve construction of two highways in the province on the request of Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan, but there was no sign of work on these projects so far.

He urged the prime minister to take steps for making Quetta-Karachi highway double carriageway.

The minister said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was not benefiting the people of Balochistan while people of other provinces were enjoying fruits of the mega project. Balochistan was not included in the CPEC in its first phase, he added.

“If Gwadar is removed from the CPEC, the mega project will have no significance and importance,” he said, adding that the people of Gwadar were not provided even basic amenities.

He said a huge population of Balochistan was involved in the Iranian diesel business, so if this business was stopped without providing alternative opportunities to them they would be deprived of their livelihood.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2021