QUETTA: PML-N Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed has said that Islamabad lost an opportunity to resolve issues of Balochistan by not implementing a report prepared by a parliamentary committee in 2005 after holding negotiations with Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.

He was speaking at a seminar on good governance organised by Civil Services Officers Association here on Friday.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti also spoke at the event and criticised politicians for playing a major role in ruining institutions of the province.

He held bureaucracy equally responsible for the miseries the province has been facing for a long time and said the existing bureaucratic model now cannot work in the province.

Former MPA of BNP-Mengal Sanaullah Baloch and others also spoke on the occasion.

CM blames politicians, bureaucracy for ruining institutions

The PML-N Senator said he has a long affiliation with Balochistan as he was a member of the parliamentary committee of the federal government headed by Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain which held negotiations with Nawab Bugti in 2005 after the worsening law and order situation in Dera Bugti.

He said the committee had prepared its report after several rounds of talks with Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and submitted it to Islamabad, but the committee’s report was not implemented.

“Had the report of the parliamentary committee been implemented, at least 70 per cent issues of Balochistan would have been resolved,” Senator Syed said.

He said there is a culture in our society which is my concern and that is “everyone in our society wants to appoint their favourite persons to government positions”.

Senator Syed also discussed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor on the occasion and said that the first phase of CPEC has been successfully completed while the work is continuing on the second phase which will change the situation in Balochistan.

Speaking on the occasion, the Balochistan chief minister blamed the wrongdoings of politicians and bureaucracy for the present sorry state of affairs in Balochistan, adding that the existing bureaucratic model could not work in the province.

Giving an example, he said during his recent visit to Loralai, the deputy commissioner of the area did not know how many schools are there in the district.

He said as there has always been a coalition government in Balochistan, the chief minister of the province, whoever he is, remains under constant pressure of the coalition partners and he cannot take bold decisions for betterment of the province.

The Balochistan government is currently facing challenges of bad governance, security, peace and environment.

“I constantly hear from political leaders, things like ‘my deputy commissioner should be appointed; why was not my scheme added to the development plan’”? The chief minister questioned what is “my scheme?”

“If a book is written on the role of politicians in good governance, we will not be able to lift our heads because of shame,” the chief minister said.

Former member of the Balo­chistan Assembly, Sanaullah Bal­och, said that Pakistan is counted among the poorly-governed countries according to reports of international organisations.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2024