Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has said that the drought situation in Balochistan is becoming increasingly serious and that comprehensive planning is being carried out to address the issue.
Speaking to the media in Quetta, Sarfraz Bugti said that a Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of Rs200 billion is not sufficient to cope with such major challenges. He added that the graph of terrorism in the province has declined this year and expressed confidence that there will be a marked improvement next year.
The chief minister said there are two main reasons behind the rise in terrorism in Balochistan. He explained that after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, weapons fell into the hands of terrorists, and that militants released from prisons in 2018 also contributed to the deteriorating security situation.
Sarfraz Bugti said that local government elections in Quetta should be postponed, as the provincial government is introducing a new local government system. He added that elections in Quetta should also be held under the new system.
The Balochistan chief minister further said that there must be consensus to create new provinces, stressing that provinces should not be formed on linguistic or religious grounds.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a fresh Drought Advisory (Pre-Alert), warning of an increasingly critical situation across western and south-western Balochistan, where rainfall deficiency and consecutive dry days are worsening long-term drought patterns.
According to PMD’s advisory, the persistent rainfall shortage, combined with above-normal temperatures forecast from December 2025 to February 2026, could accelerate drought intensity in the most vulnerable areas of the province.
Separately, the Balochistan Counter-Terrorism Report stated that 78,000 intelligence-based operations were conducted in one year, resulting in the killing of 707 terrorists, while 202 security personnel were martyred during counter-terrorism operations.
