-Inaugurates three projects during day-long trip to Quetta
-Claims CPEC’s Western Route will usher in a new chapter of development
-Laments past rulers for failing on Balochistan’s uplift
-Says his government is focused on bringing a ‘revolution of prosperity in Balochistan’
-Blames ‘elite capture’ for economic divide in the society
Bureau Report
QUETTA: Prime Minister Imran Khan performed the groundbreaking of various uplift projects in Quetta on Wednesday.
The projects include 22-kilometre dualisation of the Quetta Western Bypass (N-25) and construction of 11-kilometer Dera Murad Jamali Bypass (N-65).
Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony, Prime Minister Imran Khan said he is happy to lay the foundation of uplift schemes in Balochistan.
“Past governments didn’t give attention to Balochistan’s uplift,” he lamented, adding Pakistan will progress if underprivileged areas are brought into the mainstream. He said China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Western Route will usher in a new chapter of development in the province.
“We got a two-third majority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the 2018 elections. The main reason behind it was explained in a UNDP report that said KP was the most successful province in alleviating poverty.
Secondly, the province where the gap between the have and have-nots shrank and human development improved was also KP,” the premier said.
He said the main reason behind China’s success is its effort to pull the poor out of poverty. The prime minister lauded the Balochistan government for undertaking various uplift schemes in the province. Separately, PM Khan distributed cheques among the deserving under Kamyab Jawan Programme. Addressing the event, he said the incumbent government has earmarked Rs10 billion funds for Balochistan’s youth.
He said the Kamyab Jawan programme will also benefit fishermen, who are facing various hardships.
Moreover, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday Imran Khan said the government was focused on bringing a revolution of prosperity in Balochistan through projects of infrastructure and human development.
Addressing here at the groundbreaking of three roads under the National Highway Authority (NHA), the prime minister said Balochistan had been long neglected in the past and the government would take every step to minimize the suffering of locals. Imran Khan said despite financial constraints, his government was committed to diverting funds towards the development of Balochistan.
The prime minister arrived in Quetta on a day-long visit launched the projects, including the construction of the 162-kilometre Ziarat Harnai Road, the 23-kilometre dualization of Quetta Western Bypass (N-25) and the construction of the 11-kilometre Dera Murad Jamali Bypass (N-65). The prime minister mentioned that compared with the 1,100km of roads constructed by previous governments in 15 years, his government completed 3,300 km in two-and-a-half years. He said the entire area along the western route of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would be developed.
Imran Khan said caring for humanity was the main driving force that placed the nation at a high pedestal of morality. He regretted that had serious steps taken in past, the country would have undergone immense development. He termed ‘elite capture’ responsible for the economic division in the society and stressed the need for a model of development for all, including rich and poor. Imran Khan said Balochistan suffered apathy of previous rulers who had the mindset to ignore the province.
However, he said, his ideology was about making Pakistan rise by uplifting its weaker segments. He said China’s development and its strategy to bring people out of poverty was exemplary and added that Pakistan could learn from the same model. He mentioned that after Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, the government was expanding the network of Rs 0.1 million health insurance per household in Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan, and said the same would be discussed with the coalition government of Balochistan.
He said the project of direct subsidy to farmers on seeds and fertilizer under Kisan Card had been launched while 80 per cent of data of deserving families had been registered for Ehsaas socio-welfare programme. Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan said during the last 15 years, the previous governments left several development projects in tandem, while the incumbent was focused on their completion. He emphasized on enhanced connectivity of Quetta with Naseerabad and Sibbi through dualization to facilitate farmers and traders from adjoining areas.
He said the construction work on roads and dams would ensure the development of militancy-hit areas that had long witnessed unrest and suffering. He said the provincial government was spending Rs 35 billion out of its own resources for the development of Balochistan besides the Rs 20 billion allocated by the federal government. Minister for Communication Murad Saeed said the projects would usher in a new era of development in the province. He mentioned that Imran Khan started the western route of China Pakistan Economic Corridor from Balochistan, turning the dream of prosperity into reality.
The prime minister was also given a briefing on the overall situation of Balochistan and the development projects. Separately, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the coastal areas of Balochistan offered immense potential in fisheries and asked the local youth to learn techniques to fully tap the opportunities for revenue generation.
Addressing at the ceremony of soft loan distribution among the youth of Balochistan under the Kamyab Jawan programme, the prime minister said the government would support the youth through proper training in fisheries and help them run their own businesses.
The prime minister expressed satisfaction over the allocation of Rs10 billion for the small business and skill development of the people of Balochistan.
Imran Khan proposed that learning of cage fishing technique as an aquaculture fish production system could prove beneficial for poor fishermen who were struggling to meet their ends. He pointed that big cartels in fishery sectors were an impediment in removing the poverty of fishermen.
Imran Khan said the promotion of the fisheries sector would help uplift the youth of Balochistan and would ultimately benefit Pakistan. Senior Leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Muhammad Usman Dar, who is leading the Kamyab Jawan project, said loans amounting to Rs8 billion had been disbursed among 10,000 youth and this had helped create around 70,000 employment opportunities. He said in line with the directions of the prime minister, at least Rs5 billion would be distributed among the youth of Balochistan by this year-end for supporting them in setting up their own businesses.
