Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said Pakistan continued to seek good relations with Afghanistan but urged the Afghan interim government not to allow its territory to be used for terrorism against Pakistan. "We share a 2,000-kilometre border with Afghanistan. We are neighbours and have to live together, but we continue to urge the Afghan interim government not to allow its soil to be used for terrorism against Pakistan," he said.
Addressing participants at the Balochistan National Workshop in Islamabad, the prime minister also said Balochistan's vast geography and scattered population posed development challenges unlike those faced by other provinces, stressing that Pakistan could only prosper if all four provinces progressed together. He welcomed attendees from across the province, saying they represented not only Balochistan but Pakistan. "You are all representing Pakistan here," he said.
PM Shehbaz said Balochistan had played an important role in Pakistan's creation, recalling that the province's political and tribal leadership had voluntarily joined the federation after independence. "In 1947, the leadership of Balochistan accepted Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's leadership and became part of Pakistan. The loyal leadership of Balochistan put aside personal interests and egos and overwhelmingly supported the federation." Describing Balochistan as Pakistan's largest province by area but its smallest by population, the prime minister acknowledged that its geography presented unique development challenges.
"The distances between cities are vast, settlements are scattered, and the problems are different from those faced by other provinces," he said. PM Shehbaz said the federation had recognised those challenges through the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, adding that Punjab had voluntarily supported a larger financial share for Balochistan. "This was not a favour; it was an act of brotherhood.
When a family has four members, they support one another," he said, adding that Punjab had contributed around Rs150 billion to Balochistan over the years and continued to do so. Highlighting development initiatives, the prime minister said successive governments, including those led by Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), had expanded funding for the province. He said the federal government had contributed around Rs50 billion towar…
Summary from source