Narowal: Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has said that anti-Pakistan forces are launching attacks through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Speaking to Baloch students at the University of Narowal, Ahsan Iqbal said he was pleased that they chose the university, adding that students from Balochistan are treated as special guests.
He emphasized that Balochistan is an important and sensitive province, and Pakistan’s enemies are using KP and Balochistan as routes to destabilize the country.
He added that Pakistan’s progress is directly linked to the development of Balochistan and that recent unrest has intensified because the government has begun implementing major development projects there.
He stated that Balochistan’s greatest strength lies in its mineral resources. When the government started working to develop these resources, extremist activities increased.
According to him, militants have their eyes on these minerals and want to bring the region under their control.
Ahsan Iqbal said that in today’s world, the first stage of warfare is the battle of narratives. Physical conflict comes later.
Extremist groups first try to create confusion and mistrust among people.
When a society becomes unstable, he said, it weakens from within. He warned that in the age of social media, fake news can ignite chaos instantly.
When the CPEC project started, a coordinated campaign of misinformation was launched to sabotage it and prevent Pakistan and China from moving closer.
The minister added that hostile forces attempting to undermine Pakistan-China relations wanted to see CPEC fail.
By 2017, every major Chinese company had entered Pakistan, and had the 2018 political shift not occurred, Pakistan would have received at least 25-30 billion dollars in investment.
However, after 2018, an environment was created that pushed investors away to other countries.
He said Pakistan was left empty-handed, and the economic landscape became barren.
The government is now trying to revive it. He claimed that the “Battle of Truth” brought extraordinary success for Pakistan, placing the country on an equal footing with India in global perception.
Ahsan Iqbal stressed that Pakistan must now win the “battle for development,” which is only possible if peace is maintained within the country.
Stability, strong human resources, education, and technology are crucial for progress.
He asked whether any investor would consider investing in a country plagued by conflict.
Addressing the students, he said that unrest in Balochistan harms the province before anyone else, as it discourages investment, new projects, and opportunities for local communities.
The minister concluded by saying that peace, stability, and continuity of policies are essential for development.
He urged the students to promote awareness about peace in their areas, warning that continued unrest would push the region further behind.
