ISLAMABAD:The speakers at a seminar titled ‘Developments in Balochistan’ Tuesday called for taking measures to legalize border trade in the province so that a major pie of economy would made formal.
The seminar organized by Islamabad Policy Research Institute.
Former Chief Minister Balochistan, Jam Kamal, Senator Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, former federal minister Zubeida Jalal, MNA Danesh Kumar, MPA Sanaullah Baloch and Sarfaraz Bugti were the panelist of the seminar, said a news release.
President IPRI Amb. Raza Muhammad highlighted the need to shorten distance between the elite and the downtrodden in the province, which was ironically rich in natural resources and human dynamics, urging upon the need to sit together and resolve differences.
Jam Kamal said that the stakeholders and common strata links must be restored in order to restore the people’s confidence in the province.
He said that poverty level in Balochistan was more in cost as compared to other areas of the country because there was negligible infrastructure in the province.
“This leads to insurgency as deprivation is cashed by vested forces,” he elucidated.
Sarfaraz Bugti said that small things could make a bigger difference, and it was time to start a new.
He said that unparalleled development was not specific to Balochistan, but making it an excuse for violence was unacceptable.
He said that there were two paradigms, one security and other development in the province.
MNA Danesh Kumar talked about the homogeneity of the society, adding there was no discrimination with the minorities, especially Hindu population of the province.
He demanded the government to allocate sufficient funds for Balochistan to develop the province at par with other areas of the country.
Kumar proudly shared that minorities were free to practice their religion in the province .
Sanaullah Baloch said that taking into account the mega development projects were need of the hour to uplift the lives of people in the province.
Zubeida Jamal, former federal minister, pointed out that gaps that were widening in the development sectors of the province.
She said that 75 percent of Baloch population was below 30 years, and it was a challenge for the government in terms of unemployment and imparting quality education.