Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Thursday alleged a conspiracy had been hatched to keep the region’s youth estranged from the state and pushed into a futile war, asserting that Baloch and Pakistan were inseparable.
He delivered these remarks while addressing a public meeting to announce the establishment of the Koh Sulaiman Division, with Rakni designated as its new divisional headquarters.
The chief minister stated that the creation of the new division was a crucial step towards eradicating the backwardness of the area, describing the mountains of Koh Sulaiman as the history and habitat of brave and honourable tribes.
“I am happy that Rakhni, which was a Union Council, was now going to become a Divisional Headquarters,” he remarked, underscoring that the primary purpose was the region”s development.
During the gathering, Bugti unveiled a comprehensive development package for the new divisional headquarters. The initiatives include the establishment of a 50-bed hospital, a housing scheme, and the Rakhni Press Club.
Further commitments were made for the completion of a residential college and the Nahar Kot Dam. The Chief Minister also announced the commencement of work on the Rakhni Model Bazaar and granted Rakni the status of a Municipal Committee, which will be renamed the “Wadera Khetran Municipal Committee”.
In his address, Bugti declared that the people of every district in the new division were brothers to each other and that just as Koh Sulaiman was tall, so too were the heads of its people held high.
He stressed that while the youth would not become part of the aforementioned war and propaganda, dissatisfaction with the government should not be conflated with disloyalty to the country. “The government can make mistakes, and you can be unhappy with government, but one can never be unhappy with the state,” he clarified.
“I fulfil the promises I make. I will definitely bring today’s promises to fruition,” the chief minister pledged.
Addressing the young attendees directly, he said, “O youth of the land of Koh Sulaiman, this is not a time for dreaming but for fulfilling dreams. Honour is inherited, but development is earned. And whoever runs away from hard work can make a name but not a place.’
Other speakers at the event included Members of the Balochistan Provincial Assembly, Zarak Khan Mandokhail and Haji Ali Maddad Jattak; Pakistan Peoples Party central leader Mir Baz Muhammad Khetran; former Provincial Minister Naseebullah Marri; National Party leader Abdul Karim Kethran; District Chairman Dera Bugti, Waderah Ghulam Nabi Shambani; District Chairman Kohlu, Mir Nisar Ahmed Marri; and Samee Khan Zarkoon of the Zarkoon tribe.
The public meeting saw a large turnout from local tribes, including the Kethran, Bugti, Zarkoon, Buzdar, Gharshin, and Leghari.