Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has expressed confidence that peace will return to the province, saying that the government remains committed to stability while safeguarding civilians.

Addressing the assembly, he said with full responsibility that peace would prevail in Balochistan. He said that security forces could have eliminated terrorists within five minutes, but the terrorists had used civilians as human shields. “Had we acted, innocent people would also have been targeted,” he said.

The chief minister maintained that it could not be claimed that the people of Balochistan stand with terrorists. Only a handful had supported them, he said, adding that the people of Balochistan stand with Pakistan and the province could not be separated from the country under any circumstances. He termed the conflict as a futile war and said no one could intimidate the province by riding motorcycles from Afghanistan.

Bugti said the government had never refused political dialogue. He invited talks on political reforms, electoral reforms, bureaucracy and the distribution of funds. He questioned whether the level of development seen in Karachi exists in Kashmore, or whether Lahore’s development reflects conditions in other cities of Punjab. “This is an assembly and legislation must be discussed here,” he said, referring also to attacks in Panjgur and Noshki.

The chief minister said Rs66 billion had been spent on Gwadar over the past five years. Terrorism, he added, could not be linked to deprivation.

He said that on the assembly’s recommendation, Frontier Corps check posts had been removed. “The future of Balochistan’s children lies in artificial intelligence,” he added.

“This state is our strength; without the state there is no parliament,” he said. He praised the individual who stopped a suicide bomber from entering the Red Zone, saying the assembly must recognise him as a hero.