PM Shehbaz reaffirms commitment to equal development of provinces

July 24, 2026 (MLN): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed the federal government's commitment to equal development across all provinces, telling the Balochistan National Workshop in Islamabad that additional funds have been earmarked for the province's development.

He noted that Balochistan's development needs were also recognized under the 2010 NFC Award, to which all provinces, particularly Punjab, contributed, with Punjab alone having provided Rs150bn so far, said a press release issued.

Addressing the workshop, the prime minister assured that all possible measures would be taken to advance the province's development, citing the solarization of 27,000 agricultural tube-wells in Balochistan under a Rs75bn project, of which Rs50bn was provided by the federal government.

Shehbaz Sharif said the Karachi-Chaman expressway, being built at a cost of Rs300bn, would be completed within the next one-and-a-half to two years.

He added that the federal government would work in full coordination with the provincial government to expand education opportunities for Balochistan's youth, noting that nine Daanish Schools are being set up in the province.

On water infrastructure, the prime minister said Rs368bn had been allocated in the budget for water storage projects, and that work on the Kachhi Canal project would be expedited, suggesting it be renamed Pakistan Canal.

The prime minister said Pakistan's international standing had improved significantly owing to its role in promoting regional peace and stability, as well as its decisive response to India in May last year, and that the time had come to move the country forward on the path of economic development.

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