Key Points
- PM says Balochistan’s resources belong first to its people.
- He urges federal-provincial cooperation to exploit mineral wealth.
- Federal government allocated Rs415 billion for Karachi-Chaman highway.
- He says all provinces must share Pakistan’s development journey.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday called for a grand dialogue to resolve Balochistan’s problems, saying the purpose of dialogue was to listen to the concerns and voices of the people rather than merely deliver an official message.
Addressing participants of the Balochistan National Workshop here, he said there was no doubt that Balochistan was home to courageous Baloch and Pashtun people whose histories were marked by bravery, hospitality and tolerance.
“These are the great values of the tribes of Balochistan,” he said, adding that history had preserved these traditions in magnificent words. The prime minister said the Baloch tribal tradition demanded that honour and dignity should never be compromised at any cost.
A history of accession
Shehbaz said Pakistan came into being under the leadership of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah after the sacrifices of millions of Muslims, adding that different parts of Balochistan had subsequently announced their accession to Pakistan.
He said the princely states joined Pakistan in 1947 and 1948 through conviction, mutual understanding and a desire to become part of the country’s development and prosperity, rather than at gunpoint.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the Balochistan National Workshop, saying the Baloch people are known for their bravery, hospitality and rich traditions. He says the purpose of dialogue is to listen to the people of Balochistan and stresses that the province’s issues must… pic.twitter.com/e7gZeHaaab
— Pakistan TV (@PakTVGlobal) August 21, 2026
The prime minister paid tribute to Qazi Muhammad Isa, Mir Jafar Khan Jamali, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and others for their role in Balochistan’s accession to Pakistan.
He said the events that took place in Balochistan in 1950, 1955 and 1970 were also part of history, adding that it would remain a subject of historical debate as to how those developments should have been handled and whether they could have been resolved through dialogue.
He said the whole of Balochistan eventually became part of Pakistan in 1970 and was recognised as the country’s fourth province.
Resources belong to Balochistan
Shehbaz said Balochistan was Pakistan’s richest province in terms of resources, with vast mineral deposits in its mountains and beneath the sea.
He stressed that there should be no doubt that the province’s mineral wealth belonged to its people, whether the resources were located in Makran, Lasbela, Chaman or any other part of Balochistan.
“The first right over these resources is that of the people of Balochistan,” he said.
The prime minister said if the resources were not properly utilised, the wealth would remain merely wealth on paper. He said exploiting mineral reserves beneath mountains and the sea required capital, expertise and resources, adding that the federal and provincial governments would have to work together so that the benefits first reached Balochistan and then the people of Pakistan.
Dialogue over violence
Shehbaz said taking up arms and killing innocent people in the name of problems was unacceptable.
He said workers, engineers, teachers and other people working in Balochistan were contributing their blood, sweat and labour to the province’s development and prosperity. He said people working in mountains and mines were extracting coal and other minerals, benefiting the national economy through their labour. The prime minister said innocent people were being targeted in terrorist incidents in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said “Fitna al-Khawarij” was receiving resources from enemy countries and targeting innocent people.
Shehbaz paid tribute to security personnel who sacrificed their lives in the fight against terrorism, saying they were protecting millions of children by sacrificing the future of their own children.
The prime minister said the federal government had allocated Rs415 billion for the Karachi-Chaman highway, adding that work had begun to transform the route from a “bloody road” into a “road of peace”.
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He said development projects could not be completed if terrorism destroyed peace and innocent people continued to be killed.
Shehbaz said the state was like a mother and all four provinces were like its children, adding that the state wanted prosperity and development for all its citizens.
Gwadar’s potential
Referring to Gwadar Port, the premier said it was one of the region’s outstanding ports and had been endowed with immense potential. He said the port was deep enough to accommodate a vessel weighing 100,000 tonnes.
The prime minister said infrastructure projects, including the new airport in Gwadar, had also been completed. He said the operation of Gwadar Port had previously remained negligible, following which he directed that government imports, including wheat and machinery, should be brought into the country through the port in large quantities.
Shehbaz said his commitment to Balochistan’s development and prosperity was not merely formal but reflected a desire and determination from the heart. He said Pakistan could not genuinely progress unless Balochistan joined the country’s other regions on the path of development and prosperity.
