Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Wednesday said the people of Balochistan want peace and progress in the province and the government is committed to reducing their sense of deprivation through rapid socio-economic development.
Talking to Chief Minister Balochistan, Jam Muhammad Yousuf who called on him at the Prime Minister's House, he said, Balochistan is a very important province of Pakistan and its development is in fact the development of the country.
The Prime Minister said the patriotic Baloch people supported the creation of Pakistan and expressed the hope that they will continue to uphold the national interest in the future as well.
He said that the deprivation of last 59 years cannot be totally eliminated in a couple of years but the government is doing its best to bring a marked improvement in the living standard of people of Balochistan. Shaukat Aziz said that government has initiated mega development projects worth Rs 135 billion in the province and allocated special development funds of Rs 100 million for every district of the province.
The Prime Minister said that improving the socio-economic condition of the masses is the key priority of the government and it will take every possible step to achieve this goal. "More investment is being made in fisheries, tourism, minerals and agriculture sectors to open up new job opportunities for the people thus enabling them to become economically independent, he added.