Balochistan Chief Minister, Mir Sarfraz Bugti, declared on Friday that the long-standing issue of missing persons in the province has been ‘resolved forever,’ asserting that henceforth, not a single individual would be subjected to enforced disappearance in the region.
Addressing a session of the Balochistan Assembly, the Chief Minister stated that the government has enacted legislation to tackle the matter and that the state has formulated a specific procedure to address it. He drew a parallel to the past, mentioning that the final speech of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto also concerned the issue of missing persons. Mr Bugti claimed that the number of individuals missing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa surpasses that of Balochistan.
The Chief Minister alleged that Baloch youth were being manipulated into a “futile war,” stating he would continue to repeat, like a call to prayer, that the Baloch people were being used as “fuel in this conflict.” He directly blamed Bashir Zeb and his associates for the killings of 190 Baloch individuals, questioning what the violence had achieved and whether “they gain even an inch of land” through such acts.
Shifting to governance, Mr Bugti emphasised that ensuring the security of the populace is the administration”s primary responsibility, and all possible measures are being implemented to enhance governance. He reported that in the last year, the government saved 14 billion rupees from non-development expenditures and identified 435 redundant posts within the Chief Minister”s House. Furthermore, he highlighted the introduction of a 12 billion rupee health insurance system and steps taken for the welfare of government employees.
Condemning recent terrorist incidents, the Chief Minister acknowledged the significant losses suffered by the National Party in the fight against terrorism. He also affirmed the administration”s duty to protect national languages and cultures.
In his remarks, Mr Bugti commented on political discourse, noting that while differences of opinion are natural in a society, they should not erode mutual respect. “A so-called Baloch leader ridicules us; if someone gives us respect, we will respect them too, and if someone disrespects us, we will respond accordingly,” he stated. The Chief Minister concluded by affirming his primary identity as a Pakistani, and secondarily as a Baloch.