Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was on his way to Sukkur when the aircraft developed technical problems and had to be landed immediately. – File photo by AFP
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani . – File photo by AFP

GARHI KHUDA BAKHSH: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that there is only a handful of people in Balochistan who are talking about independence for the province.

Talking to reporters at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh after laying floral wreaths on the graves of the Bhuttos and offering fateha, he said a majority of the Baloch were patriots as they had supported the Quaid-i-Azam in his struggle for Pakistan and rendered tremendous sacrifices towards that end.

He said if the Baloch had suffered any injustice in the past his government was ready to address their grievances.

He said that Z.A. Bhutto had made Pakistan a nuclear state and his contribution had been recognised internationally. He said Mr Bhutto gave the country 1973’s Constitution and the credit went to the present government that had restored it.

About the Karachi situation, he said it was the provincial matter but the federal government had extended all possible assistance to the province in terms of deployment of forces and intelligence sharing.Calling Karachi a mini-Pakistan, the prime minister said the government didn’t want a disturbed economy, adding that peace in the city would be restored.

He complained that almost all political parties were part of the government, either at the federal or provincial level, but it was the federal government that alone was criticised.

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

OFFICIAL post-budget media briefings in Pakistan are carefully choreographed affairs, full of reassuring phrases ...
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...