News Desk
Quetta: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Friday said that no government intends to create hardship for its own people or send them to jail, but stressed that upholding the Constitution and maintaining the rule of law is the state’s foremost responsibility.
Responding to calls from assembly members for negotiations with the Balochistan Grand Alliance, the chief minister said the Constitution authorizes the government to provide relief to the common citizen, particularly those who are unemployed and deprived of basic facilities.
He noted that a significant portion of the provincial budget is consumed by government employees’ salaries, while the government is also obligated to ensure education, healthcare, road infrastructure, and social welfare for the broader population.
“Our efforts are focused on creating savings so that meaningful relief can be extended to ordinary citizens,” Bugti said, adding that the people of Balochistan are “like our own children.” He reiterated that the provincial government has always remained open to dialogue and is willing to continue negotiations.
However, the chief minister highlighted the province’s severe financial constraints, stating that Balochistan currently has no additional fiscal space. He pointed out that government employees have already received a 10 percent salary increase, and for the next six months, no further financial relief is possible.
“We are ready to sit and discuss these matters in the next financial year,” he added.
Mir Sarfraz Bugti urged protesters to refrain from taking the law into their own hands, warning against road blockades and disruptions to daily life. Addressing educators directly, he said, “Your responsibility is to teach. Do not shut down roads.”
Members of the Balochistan Grand Alliance have been staging protest demonstrations across the province, demanding the grant of the Disparity Reduction Allowance (DRA). The protests include sit-ins at government schools, with teachers, lecturers, and professors participating. Several protesters have reportedly been detained during the demonstrations.
