Centre left Balochistan ‘alone’ in natural disaster: CM

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani expressed his disappointment with the behaviour of the federal departments during the relief and rescue operation in the province’s snowfall regions, claiming that “Islamabad left Balochistan alone.”

Presiding over a meeting on Saturday that reviewed relief and rescue operations in the province, he said no assistance had been provided to the provincial government by the concerned departments of the federal government. He said the federal government had proven that it never had Balochistan under its attention.

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The chief minister said, “All officials and agencies, including the federal energy secretary, NHA chairman, NDMA chairman and SSGC managing director, have totally ignored Balochistan,” adding that they should have approached Balochistan because the province suffered badly from snowfall and rain tragedy.

The meeting was attended by Provincial Ministers Zahoor Ahmed Buledi and Saleem Ahmed Khosa, Balochistan Chief Secretary Fazeel Asghar, the additional Chief Home Secretary, Senior Member Board of Revenue, Finance Secretary and other government officials.

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Mr Alyani lambasted the role of the National Highway Authority and said that it did not fulfill its responsibility to clear blocked highways that caused significant hardship to people. It was the provincial government and its departments that restored those highways with their own manpower.