ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the challenges facing Balochistan should be resolved through dialogue, stressing that the people of the province have the first right over its resources.
Addressing the Balochistan National Workshop, Shehbaz welcomed the participants and said the purpose of the dialogue was to listen to them and to the people of Balochistan.
The prime minister said Balochistan is home to both Baloch and Pashtun communities and highlighted the region's traditions of courage, hospitality and tolerance. He said different parts of Balochistan joined Pakistan at the time of its creation and that the decision reflected the wishes of local elders and people.
Shehbaz said no patriot could take up arms in the name of grievances and called for turning the “road of blood” into a “road of peace”. He alleged that hostile countries were providing resources to infiltrators, while Pakistani soldiers were sacrificing their lives to protect others.
“Whatever has happened, has happened; now there must be a grand dialogue,” the prime minister said, adding that those willing to correct their course should be welcomed.
He said even the most difficult problems could be resolved through dialogue and reiterated that the people of Balochistan had the first right over the province's resources. He said the government was prepared to listen to the province's legitimate grievances not once, but a thousand times.
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Shehbaz also condemned the killing of workers in Balochistan on the basis of their identity, saying such acts could not be justified under any circumstances.
He said equitable distribution of resources was an effective way to address grievances and stressed that Pakistan could not progress unless Balochistan and all four provinces became part of the country's development journey.
The prime minister said hostile countries were behind terrorism in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He added that he and Field Marshal Asim Munir had jointly decided to turn the “road of blood” into a “road of peace”.
Shehbaz said the state had the status of a mother and a mother never wanted her children to suffer. He maintained that Balochistan's legitimate grievances could be addressed through dialogue, justice and fair distribution of resources.