DERA MURAD JAMALI: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti has said his government will continue its efforts to open doors of top universities of the world for the youth of Balochistan to empower them through education while some terrorist organisations were attempting to turn the youth into suicide bombers.

Speaking to journalists on Monday after offering condolences to chief MNA Hussain Jakhrani on the passing away of his mother, Mr Bugti said that Balochistan is at war with terrorists.

“Terrorists don’t belong to any tribe or nation. They are simply terrorists. We want to resolve every issue through dialogue, but unfortunately the insurgents prefer violence over discussion,” the chief minister said.

Highlighting the provincial government’s development agenda, the chief minister said Benazir Bhutto Scholarship Programme was aimed at providing the youth of Balochistan with access to the world’s top educational institutions across the world.

Mr Bugti acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue of missing persons, saying that the identities and circumstances of several missing persons remained disputed.

“It’s controversial who is missing and how they went missing, and whether they disappeared voluntarily or otherwise. Still, we’ve introduced a special legislation in the Balochistan Assembly to prevent allegations against the state or its institutions in future,”

Mr Bugti said.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2025