ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for national unity and respect for security forces while detailing government investment in provincial development and counter-terrorism operations, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported Saturday.
PM Sharif addressed the National Assembly one day after the government released its fiscal year 2027 budget proposal. He warned that future generations will not forgive national negligence in supporting those who died fighting terrorism, according to APP Urdu News Service.
PM Sharif stated a helicopter crash three days prior killed 22 military officers and soldiers, including two Christians. He noted the military continues daily combat operations against terrorist networks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He stated that foreign actors provide financial and technical support to terrorist groups operating in both provinces. The government has erected a security fence on the Balochistan border to protect military personnel, he said.
PM Sharif tied security operations to broader resource distribution. Punjab transfers Rs11 billion ($39.5 million) annually to Balochistan from provincial revenue, demonstrating shared burden, he stated, according to APP.
The prime minister stated that federal investment in Balochistan includes agricultural and infrastructure projects. Solar panel installations for farmers cost Rs70 billion ($251.6 million), with the federal government providing Rs50 billion ($179.7 million).
Meanwhile, the Gwadar-Chaman dual carriageway project costs Rs300 billion ($1.078 billion).
PM Sharif referenced the 2010 National Finance Commission Award, Pakistan's tenth such fiscal pact, which doubled Balochistan's share.
He stated that a functioning nation requires both security and economic justice.
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