Taking Up Arms Is Unacceptable Under Any Circumstances in Balochistan: PM Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that taking up arms under the pretext of grievances is unacceptable, stressing that dialogue, consultation and fair distribution of resources are the best ways to resolve issues in Balochistan.

Addressing a workshop on Balochistan in Islamabad, the prime minister said, “What happened in Balochistan has happened,” but taking up arms could not be accepted under any circumstances. He said the killing of people on the basis of their identity, including labourers working in Balochistan, was unacceptable.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said hostile countries were behind terrorism in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the state had to distinguish between legitimate grievances and terrorism, adding that the government would address all genuine complaints through dialogue.

He said Balochistan was Pakistan’s richest province in terms of natural resources and that the first right over these resources belonged to its people. Pakistan could not progress without bringing Balochistan into the race for development and prosperity.

The prime minister said the purpose of dialogue was not merely to convey the government’s position but also to listen to the people of Balochistan and workshop participants. He said issues concerning the province should have been resolved through dialogue in the past as well.

Shehbaz Sharif said Balochistan was rich in minerals and other resources, but investment, capital and expertise were required to benefit from them. The federal and provincial governments would have to work together in this regard.

He said the best way to resolve problems was mutual consultation and equitable distribution of resources, adding that there was no justification for taking up arms in the name of grievances.

The prime minister said elements associated with Fitna al-Khawarij and those receiving resources from hostile countries were behind terrorism in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The armed forces and law-enforcement agencies were fighting these elements and making sacrifices to protect the people.

Shehbaz Sharif said the Karachi-Chaman N-25 highway was being constructed in cooperation with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. The federal government had provided Rs415 billion for the project, which, he said, was the money of the people of all four provinces being spent on Balochistan’s development.

He highlighted the importance of Gwadar Port and said Gwadar International Airport was a gift from Pakistan’s close friend China.

The prime minister said 22,000 agricultural tube wells in Balochistan had been shifted to solar energy under a Rs70 billion project, with the federal government contributing Rs40 billion. He added that federal funding for Balochistan had been increased by 100 percent at the time of the NFC Award, while Punjab was also providing Rs11 billion annually to the province.

He said Balochistan had been included in federal laptop and scholarship programmes, with the province receiving a share for talented students that was 10 percent higher than its population proportion. The federal government was also establishing Daanish Schools in nine districts of Balochistan to provide quality education to children from underprivileged areas.

Regarding the Quetta-Chaman highway, the prime minister said the federal government was prepared to provide another Rs100 billion or even Rs200 billion for the project. However, he warned that continued terrorism could undermine the province’s development process.

Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan’s IT exports had increased by 21 percent and were expected to rise further. He added that rice farmers had been provided Rs11 billion in subsidies due to a decline in exports, while curbing the smuggling of a single commodity had generated Rs125 billion for the national exchequer.

The prime minister also directed Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik to visit Quetta and resolve the issue of gas load-shedding in Balochistan during the winter season.

He said he would provide every possible resource for Balochistan’s development within human capacity, but the province would also have to take responsibility for maintaining security.

Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the federal government had allocated Rs1 trillion for the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), including Rs200 billion for Balochistan and Rs70 billion for Punjab.

He said 650 kilometres of roads had also been constructed in Balochistan during the tenure of former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. He added that 43 workers had lost their lives during the construction of the Quetta-Gwadar highway.

براہِ راست:وزیر اعظم کی بلوچستان نیشنل ورکشاپ میں شرکت، خطاب اور شرکا کے سوالات کے جوابات https://t.co/I3oPMSSr7N

— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) August 21, 2026