QUETTA: Informing that Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists had killed Panjgur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Zakir Baloch, the provincial Chief Minister (CM) Mir Sarfaraz Bugti on Thursday made it clear that his government would not tolerate any separatist movement.

Addressing a press conference in Quetta, the Chief Minister stated categorically that Pakistan did not come into existence to disintegrate. He questioned whether killing unarmed innocent civilians was a Baloch tradition.

“I felicitate all Pakistanis on the occasion of Independence Day,” he said, adding, “Functions were held peacefully in the province, including Quetta, in connection with the big day.”

Advising the Baloch youth not to pay heed to the enemies’ propaganda, he assured them that the government would resolve the issue of missing persons. “We have introduced a scheme for the province’s youth under which we will provide loans to them on soft terms.” He accused the Baloch Yakjehti Committee of thrice violating the agreement reached between them and the government.

The Chief Minister asked whether Mah Rang Baloch was interested in doing politics in the parliament or out on the streets. He informed that a waste management system had been introduced in the provincial capital under the public-private partnership under which 1,600 tonnes of garbage would be lifted every day.

“We have started giving free passports to the citizens in Chaman,” Bugti said, claiming that the provincial government was taking steps to improve the living standards of poor people, including labourers. “Today we are sending 500 children of labourers to Islamabad for training.”

The CM said the government was going to rename Hoshab College as Shaheed Zakir Baloch College. “We will bear the expenses of the education of martyred government official’s children besides providing them jobs in government departments,” he said, adding, “We will facilitate Baloch’s children seeking education from whichever institution they want.”