Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has assured the political leadership of Baluchistan that the development of the province is one of the government’s highest priorities. He was chairing a meeting with a 5-member delegation from Baluchistan when he made the statement. The delegation was headed by Health Minister of Balochistan Ehsan Shah, while Food Minister of Balochistan Zamrak Khan and Chief Secretary of Balochistan Abdul Aziz Uqaili were also present.

Ahsan Iqbal said that recent identification of 11 districts of Baluchistan as among the 30 most poor districts of the country put the spotlight again on the underdevelopment of the province. He said that “our top priority is to uplift the Balochistan province, which has been neglected in the past by successive governments.” During the meeting, Ahsan Iqbal briefed the visiting delegation about the steps being taken by the federal government for the uplift of the Baluchistan province.

It is pertinent to mention here that the federal government has kept Baluchistan on its high priority list since coming to power in April this year. When floods wreaked havoc across the province, the federal government was quick to respond through disaster relief initiatives. Many projects for the development of the province have also been approved by the federal government for the uplift of the province.

Ahsan Iqbal highlighted that for the first time in 2016, the PML-N government had launched a district level Multidimensional Poverty Index to uplift the poorest districts of the country, adding that special initiatives have been taken for the youth of Balochistan under the PM youth initiatives program. The provincial ministers appreciated the efforts of the Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal for taking special interest in the development of the province.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk