Govt to set agenda for talks with Balochistan nationalists: Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has revealed that the government will set an agenda for holding talks with Balochistan nationalists.

“[The state] has dismantled India’s terrorist network in Balochistan to a great extent,” tweeted Chaudhry on Tuesday.  “Now, we have to set an agenda for talks with Baloch nationalists.”

The minister further said that the federal government intended to complete 131 projects worth a whopping Rs731bn in the province.

“The Balochistan government’s development package, for this year alone, is Rs180bn,” he added. “Prime Minister Imran Khan holds Balochistan close to his heart,” he added.

His tweet came a day after PM Imran Khan announced that his government was mulling to hold talks with the disgruntled elements in Balochistan.

PM Khan was speaking at an event in Balochistan, where he said insurgents might be upset with the state due to some past grievances or India might have used them to spread terror in Pakistan.

“But now, the situation has changed,” he had noted.

PM Khan, on his day-long visit to Gwadar, inaugurated the Gwadar Free Zone, Expo Center, Agriculture Industrial Park, and three factories; he also witnessed the signing of various MOUs aimed at constructing a state-of-the-art hospital, airport, and vocational institute.