This is apropos a letter "Balochistan needs attention" carried by this newspaper yesterday. That Balochistan needs attention because of a variety of reasons is a fact. The prime reason is the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Its successful execution or completion is greatly dependent on greater peace in the province. The other such reason is alienation of a section of Baloch population. It is therefore heartening to note that the new prime minister during his recent visit to Quetta has said that water issue in Balochistan will also be solved for the welfare of the people. According to him, his government will also switch the province's tube-wells to solar energy.

His government must reach out to the disgruntled Baloch with a view to bringing them back into the mainstream. This will require him to reinvent government's approach to Balochistan. He will achieve little or nothing if he continues to pursue the issue through the policy framework devised under the then prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017