QUETTA: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that deprivation of 72 years among the people of Balochistan cannot be removed in 15 months.

Ms Awan visited Quetta to announce a relief package for the snowfall-hit people of Balochistan.

Addressing a press conference at the Quetta Press Club, she said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government was doing its best to remove deprivation among the people of Balochistan. Things were moving in the right direction as the PTI government was trying to resolve issues of the province, she added.

Announcing relief packages for the snowfall-affected people of Balochistan, she said so far 20 people had lost their lives, 23 suffered injuries and 173 houses were damaged in snowfall-related incidents in the province.

She said the government had announced Rs500,000 compensation for the family of those who had lost their lives, Rs50,000 for the each injured and Rs50,000 to those whose houses were damaged.

The PM’s special assistant said the federal government had decided to work with the provincial government to improve infrastructure in Balochistan so that damage from natural disasters could be minimised. In this regard, she added, Red Crescent’s role would also be strengthened.

She said the federal government was committed to completing all projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and was also planning other initiatives to improve infrastructure in the province.

She said the government also planning to create employment opportunities for the youth in the province.

According to her, it is the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan to bring Balochistan at par with other provinces of the country in terms of development.

“The Balochistan government is our ally and we are providing facilities to it so that the province could economically prosper, attract investors and further explore its natural resources,” she said.

“In Gwadar, Pakistan’s third largest international airport is being built,” she added.

She said the government was taking measures to solve the problem of low gas pressure in some parts of Balochistan.

The PM’s special assistant said that with the help of Chief Minister Jam Kamal Alyani the federal government would make a colony for journalists in Balochistan which would be named after martyred journalists of the province.

She also announced to set up an information centre in the Quetta Press Club.

She said the people of Balochistan had rejected India-sponsored subversive activities in the province.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2020