India is sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan: PM Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that India is sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan, and the country continues to face security challenges that require a collective national response.

Addressing participants of the National Workshop Balochistan at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the prime minister reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to the equitable development of all provinces, with a special focus on Balochistan.

He said the federal government would leave no stone unturned to accelerate the province’s development, noting that additional funds had been allocated for development projects.

He added that Balochistan’s development needs were recognized under the 2010 National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, with all provinces, particularly Punjab, contributing to the initiative.

According to the prime minister, Punjab has contributed Rs150 billion for Balochistan’s development, while the federal government remains committed to taking all possible measures to improve the province’s infrastructure and public services.

Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the solarisation of 27,000 agricultural tube wells in Balochistan, saying the federal government had contributed Rs50 billion toward the Rs75 billion project.

He also announced that the Karachi–Chaman Expressway would be completed within the next 18 to 24 months at an estimated cost of Rs300 billion.

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The prime minister said the federal and provincial governments would work together to expand educational opportunities for the youth of Balochistan, adding that nine Daanish Schools were being established in the province.

He said Rs368 billion had been allocated in the federal budget for water storage projects and assured that work on the Kachhi Canal project would be expedited. He also proposed renaming it the “Pakistan Canal.”

“Terrorism remains a live challenge today, and we must all work together to defeat it,” he said.

The prime minister stated that India was sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan and said Islamabad had repeatedly urged Afghanistan’s interim government to prevent its territory from being used by terrorist groups to carry out attacks inside Pakistan. He said that the Afghan authorities had so far failed to curb the activities of such groups.

Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan’s international standing has improved significantly due to the pivotal role it played in promoting regional peace and stability, as well as the decisive defeat it inflicted on India in May last year. He said the time has come to take the country forward on the path of economic development.