Staff Reporter
Quetta: The Chief Minister of Balochistan has stated that the province’s annual budget of nearly Rs 1,000 billion reflects a harsh financial reality, with around 80 percent allocated to non-development expenditures. These expenses largely consist of salaries and pensions for nearly 250,000 government employees, leaving only Rs 200 billion available for the welfare and development of the province’s 13 million people.
According to the Chief Minister, to correct this imbalanced financial structure, the government has taken difficult but necessary reform measures over the past two years. These include the closure of ineffective and redundant departments such as Zakat, Religious Affairs, and Civil Defence, the elimination of 8,000 unnecessary government positions, and strict, across-the-board action against absentee employees to ensure better use of public resources and improved governance.
The Chief Minister emphasized that while the reform process is still ongoing, pressure, protests, or any form of blackmail will not deter the government from protecting the public interest. He made it clear that no compromise will be made on the interests of the people of Balochistan, and that the drive for financial discipline, transparency, and development-oriented reforms will continue under all circumstances.
