By NNN-APP
Islamabad : Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday said the government’s ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts in rain and flood hit areas of Balochistan will help the affected people to start a better living.
He was talking to Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, who called on him here at the Prime Minister House.
The Prime Minister said the federal government contributed substantially for relief and rescue efforts including timely distribution of food, shelter and medicine to the rain and flood affected people of Baluchistan as an immediate measure.
He said the federal government has already distributed about 75,000 tents, 33,000 blankets and 5,367 tons of ration among the flood and rain affected people of Baluchistan in addition to the assistance extended by the UN agencies, Red Cross and NGOs.
The Prime Minister said that seeds for agricultural crops are also being distributed among the farmers for their rehabilitation and the roads network has been made operational with the help of armed forces.
He said that infrastructure projects like Gwadar deep sea port, Mirani Dam, Coastal highway and other projects have created large number of direct and indirect job opportunities for the people of Balochistan.
The government the Prime Minister said is also encouraging investment in mining, energy, agriculture and fishing.
The President’s Rozgar scheme and National Internship Program will provide self-employment opportunities and jobs to thousands of youth all over the country including Baluchistan, he added.
The Prime Minister said that the government is making all out effort for socio-economic uplift of Baluchistan to bring this province at par with the more developed areas of the country.
He said that Pakistan desires gradual return of Afghan refugees to their homeland so that they can take part in the reconstruction process in Afghanistan. He said the matter was also taken up during Pak-Afghan Jirga Commission held at Kabul.
The Prime Minister said, “we are working in close coordination with UNHCR, donor countries and extending every possible help to the refugees so that they can start a new life in their native country”.
Yar Muhammad Rind updated the Prime Minister about the arrangement for facilitating Afghan refugees to return to their homeland.
He said the government will continue to provide every possible facility so that the Afghan refugees can start life easily back home.
He said the arrangements made so far have been acknowledged by the international organizations and they would help the refugees to go their homeland and start afresh.
The Minister for SAFRON said that the people of Baluchistan are highly appreciative of the initiatives undertaken by President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz for taking personal interest in the development and prosperity of Baluchistan.
He said that the Gwadar deep-sea port would undoubtedly change the fate of the area by generating employment and business opportunities for the people.