QUETTA: In a significant move for the journalist community, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti laid the foundation stone for a Media Housing Scheme in Quetta, announcing a major welfare initiative for low-income and martyred journalists.
During an emotionally charged ceremony, the Chief Minister announced that free flats would be provided to the families of martyred journalists from across Balochistan. Furthermore, he made a landmark pledge, stating that the provincial government would bear all expenses for the higher education of their children, whether at prestigious local institutions like Lawrence College and Aitchison or international universities like Oxford and Harvard.
Detailing the scheme, Bugti clarified a two-tier structure. Three-bedroom flats will be available for journalists who can pay in installments. However, in a special category for “small workers” like cameramen and support staff, two-bedroom flats will be provided completely free of charge. These will be allocated via a merit-based draw. The Chief Minister directed authorities to begin work immediately, setting a completion deadline of January 1, 2027.
Responding to his online critics, whom he termed “Twitter Sardars,” Bugti delivered a defiant personal testimony. He stated he was not a beneficiary but a victim of conflict, having “picked up the bodies of 280 people” from his own family and tribe and now supporting their widows and children. He declared his political capital was his unwavering stand with Pakistan, vowing not to back down from his principles.
Concluding, he urged journalists not to see the housing scheme as a favour but as their right, asking them to hold him accountable and “promote the truth.
Meanwhile the Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party (PkNAP) has launched a scathing attack on the Balochistan government, accusing it of unprecedented corruption and the systematic embezzlement of public funds through “ghost schemes,” leading to a severe lack of development on the ground.
In a strongly-worded press release issued from its provincial secretariat, the party expressed profound grief over the alleged misdeeds of what it termed the “Form 47 government.” The statement claimed the incumbent administration has made the province number one in “corruption, commission, and percentage,” while it has hit rock bottom in development and public welfare.
