QUETTA: The Balo­chistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) unveiled its election manifesto on Sunday and said that it would ensure legitimate rights of the Baloch people in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, take steps for the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDPs), stop targeted killings and recover missing persons.

The party claimed that steps would also be taken to get control of the Gwadar Port transferred to the provincial government while job opportunities would be ensured for the skilled labour in other countries.

BNP-Mengal president Sardar Akhtar Mengal made the party’s election manifesto public at a press conference which was attended by the party’s secretary general Senator Dr Jahanzeb Jamaldini, senior vice president Abdul Wali Kakar, Nawabzada Haji Lashkari Raisani and Ghulam Nabi Marri.

According to Sardar Mengal, all illegal and fake official documents issued in the province would be cancelled and special packages would be announced for families who lost their loved ones in targeted killings.

“Thousands of Baloch people are internally displaced due to target killings or forced disappearances of political workers. BNP will bring back all IDPs and take steps to help with their rehabilitation,” he said.

The party also included the return of Afghan refugees in the manifesto and said that they would be sent back home with honour and security.

“Balochistan is facing serious economic crisis and keeping this in mind, the BNP will come up with a new formula under the NFC award,” he added.

Sardar Mengal said that the province was facing acute unemployment and the BNP planned to create 40,000 jobs for the educated youth of Balochistan.

He added that the party would end discrimination of local and domicile certificate and ensure equal rights for all people in the province.

Mr Mengal claimed that terrorism had the worst impact on the province and the party would take political and administrative steps to curb terrorism and protect the peoples’ lives and property.

He also promised a free ambulance service, establishing modern and well-equipped hospitals in every district headquarter, providing free health facilities, establishing an agriculture university in the green belt, building 11,000 new primary schools and upgrading 1,200 middle schools in the province.

Further discussing educational policies, Mr Mengal said that the party would introduce a scholarship in the province as well, while 947 colleges would be built in the province.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2018