The newly appointed Chief Minister of Balochistan has said that incentives will be offered to foreign investors in order to create job opportunities for unemployed youth of Balochistan.
According to TBP correspondent, Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan in a meeting with the Country Director of International Energy Company (IB Vogt) Murah Can on Thursday, said that apart from providing incentives to both local and foreign investors, the provincial government will also ensure security and protection of the investment.
However, economic experts have argued that such offers will not be taken seriously until and unless the security conditions in Balochistan are improved.
A professor of Economics in United Kingdom, who monitors the economic conditions in Balochistan and the region, told TBP that the very main factor a foreign investor considers before investing in new pastures is the law and order situation and the trustworthiness of authorities in the region.
‘Both of these are in very bad shape in Balochistan. Balochistan is a war-struck region and attacks by Baloch militants on government installations are routine. Even investment activities of foreign countries have been targeted in the region,’ he told TBP.
Commenting on the prevalent corruption by state departments, he said that until and unless the corruption issue is dealt with, no ethical company will put their stakeholders’ money at risk by investing in Balochistan. “This is not an easy task as corruption in Balochistan is a mammoth industry and the Pakistani military is the main beneficiary, which also calls all the shots in the country,” he said.
Balochistan suffers from a bleak security situation as Baloch militants have been warring Pakistani state for “independence of Balochistan”. China, which has invested heavily in resource-rich region, has also suffered multiple attacks in Balochistan.
On 11 August 2018, a suicide bomber attacked the Chinese employees working in Saindak Gold and copper mines in Dalbandeen, Balochistan, killing 4 persons including 3 Chinese workers.
Later the attack was claimed by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) a Baloch armed group. The attack was carried out by elder son of Aslam Baloch, the top commander of BLA.