QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti said on Saturday that fight against terrorism would continue until eliminating the last terrorist, saying civil and military leadership is fully united against combating terrorism.
“There is no ambiguity or confusion on this issue,” he said while speaking to national media anchors, senior journalists via a video link at the Chief Minister’s Secretariate. Overall situation in Balochistan, development activities, minerals and mining, law and order, political matters and various government initiatives were discussed.
Earlier, detailed briefings were given on the province’s socio-economic sectors, minerals and mining, and law and order situation. Officials briefed the chief minister on the government’s strategy, ongoing projects and measures aimed at ensuring that the benefits of development reach the people.
Responding to the questions, CM Bugti said security forces were performing their duties under difficult circumstances in Balochistan and state institutions were working in complete coordination in the fight against terrorism. He said there would be no talks with those who had taken up arms against the state.
Regarding new provinces, Bugti said it was not possible to control the entire province from Quetta. If new provinces were created in Balochistan, he said, they should be formed on administrative rather than linguistic grounds. The chief minister said he was not aware of any alleged two-and-a-half-year power-sharing agreement in Balochistan.
He said any decision regarding a change in government would be taken by the political leadership, adding that he would continue serving the people as long as he remained in office. He said he could not claim that corruption had been completely eliminated, but maintained that corruption had declined in Balochistan compared with the past.
Talking about corruption in the province, he added that steps were being taken to ensure merit in educational institutions and all government departments. Bugti said development projects in Balochistan had been completed in record time compared with the past, adding that the provincial government was focused on making development more effective, result-oriented and aligned with public needs.
CM Balochistan said that at least 1.1 million Afghan refugees, along with other foreign nationals, had been sent back to their respective countries from Balochistan. On the issue of missing persons, Bugti said the matter was sometimes presented in the national media and other forums without a proper context, which, he said, did not provide an accurate picture of the situation.
The chief minister stressed that terrorism was not an issue limited to one province but a problem for the entire country, saying there is need joint efforts at the national level to eliminate it.
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