Overview
- President Asif Ali Zardari made the pledge during a briefing at the President’s House with Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, which took place Wednesday and reviewed the province’s situation and development initiatives.
- Zardari said groups he described as operating with foreign backing are trying to derail progress and vowed those attempts would be defeated at all costs.
- He called for tighter federal-provincial coordination to promote peace, development and public welfare and said Balochistan deserves special attention and adequate resources.
- The president affirmed that security forces and state institutions will continue operations against terrorism but did not announce new specific military campaigns or concrete funding packages.
- Reporting notes that the remarks are a political reaffirmation of support for the province during a recent rise in attacks and that the next steps to turn the pledge into concrete projects or budgets remain to be announced.