Provincial Minister Balochistan and Member Inter-Provincial Co-ordination (IPC), Syed Sher Jan Baloch has demanded of the Sindh Government to make payment of decades-old Hub water dues of Rs 12 billion to Balochistan.
Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC), he said that these funds could be used for rehabilitation activities in Balochistan. Syed Sher Jan Baloch said that the issue of these dues was earlier raised at all three meetings of the Inter Provincial Co-ordination Committee.
He opined that the general elections should not be held this year as millions of voters were homeless and there was no possibility or feasibility of holding elections as most people of Sindh and Balochistan were displaced and infrastructure in many parts of both provinces collapsed. He added that Balochistan would take years to re-stabilise.
Syed Sher Jan Baloch regretted that the Federal Government was delaying awarding National Finance Commission Award (NFC) to the provinces and said that the Award must be given to the provinces on the basis of area.
About damage assessment in Balochistan, he said rain brought floods and cyclone that killed around 250 in the province, rendered millions of people homeless, and damaged 25 big and 250 small fishing launches. He said most of the infrastructure remained useless and inter-provincial highways closed for ten days resulting in huge financial losses and delays in rescue operations.
Provincial minister lauded efforts of Pakistan Navy, Army, Government of Sindh, Governor Tabook, and President United Arab Emirates for assisting Balochistan and its people and appealed for further assistance. About rescue operations, Syed Sher Jan Baloch said that everyday two C-130 aircrafts carrying relief goods were landing in Balochistan and 12 trucks of relief goods were dispatched on Thursday.