QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti has said the people of Balochistan are standing with the state of Pakistan as our future is linked with the country.

Speaking at a public gathering during his visit to mineral rich Nokundi area, he said that a fruitless war cannot deliver anything and there is a need to stand shoulder to shoulder with the state of Pakistan for achieving due rights of the people of Balochistan.

Provincial Minister for Finance, Mines and Mineral Mir Shoaib Nosherwani; Senator Danesh Kumar; and MNA Usman Badini were also present on the occasion.

The chief minister said the past provincial governments and bureaucracy lacked capacity to utilise the annual budget, but this time, the government was determined to ensure that at least 90 per cent of the budget was spent on development projects in the province.

Criticises doctors for ‘opposing’ reforms in health department

He said the current government has around Rs210 billion funds and it hs planned to effectively spend it on different development projects.

The chief minister criticised the state of affairs in the health department, stating, the Balochistan government provides Rs80 billion to the department to provide the best treatment to people.

“[W]e are trying to reform the system to provide best treatment facilities to the masses, but when we try to introduce reforms in the health department, doctors and other health workers start protesting,” he said, adding the protesters “do not want any improvement” in healthcare facilities.

The chief minister said health department officials themselves seek treatment in Karachi’s Aga Khan Hospital and records were available to verify this. Yet, they do not want any improvement in government hospitals of the province, he added.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2025