Islamabad; President Dr Arif Alvi has called for enhancing engagements with the people of Balochistan at the grassroots level, prioritizing investment in human resource development, and fully developing and benefitting from the marine and land-based natural resources of the province to deliver economic growth and prosperity to the people of Balochistan.

While talking to the cadets of the Cadet College, Kohlu, Balochistan, who came to Aiwan-e-Sadr, on an educational visit, the President said that the national and provincial leadership had a responsibility to develop strong political relationships with the people of the province through increased interactions and confidence building and especially engage the youth of the province to motivate and enable them to play their role in provincial and national development.

The President said that Balochistan was a mineral-rich province and its people were capable and brave, adding that Reko Diq and other such projects in future could make Balochistan prosper in a short period of time. He added that Balochistan’s natural resources could be fully developed by benchmarking best global practices, discouraging corruption and corrupt practices, and utilizing our human resources optimally with definite goals, KPIs and timelines. He termed eliminating nepotism, uprooting corruption in all its forms, promoting merit, and transparency as essential for building a strong and prosperous nation.

He further said that political stability, prioritizing the well-being of the people, curbing corruption, strengthening institutional framework, focusing on skill development, serving people with honesty, dedication and selflessness, and avoiding negative sentiments like ego and vested interests could lead the province towards rapid progress and development.

The President regretted that due to various reasons Pakistan could not achieve its rightful place in the comity of nations. He stated that we should learn from the mistakes of the past, forgo our vested interests and egos, practice forgiveness and reconciliation at all levels and focus on science and technology, skill development, education, proper upbringing, and character development of our future generations.

While replying to a question, the President said that political stability and continuation of policies were keys for achieving financial and socio-economic stability, and promoting trade and investment in the country. He said that all stakeholders should set aside their enmity, ego and extreme behaviours, keep the greater national interest supreme and develop consensus through democratic means for holding free, fair and impartial elections to let people choose their representatives. This, he said, would create political stability and pave the way for faster and more sustainable economic and financial growth.

While answering another question, the President said the students should continue the pursuit of knowledge throughout their lives, hone their skills continuously, and set the right priorities for themselves while keeping their moral, ethical and family values intact. He advised them to maintain humane behaviour and observe humility in their conduct as they would not only advance in their careers but would also get happiness and satisfaction in life.

The President appreciated the Cadet Colleges of Pakistan for producing quality graduates, who after graduating were serving the Pakistan Armed Forces and in other fields as physicians, engineers and businessmen.

The Cadet College, Kohlu was announced in 2006 and the first batch of Cadets was inducted in 2016 that passed out in 2022. At present total strength of Cadets is 298 with 34 faculty members.