Islamabad, Aug 9: Poor governance is the primary reason behind instability and deprivation in Pakistan’s Balochistan province as the Federal government regards the province as a security issue and does not address the social, economic, and political causes of the crisis there, a report said.

People of Balochistan do not get benefits despite the province being resource-rich, according to the report in Afghan Diaspora Network.

The majority of development projects in Balochistan, including the strategic Gwadar port and the Saindak copper and gold mine, have been operated by China. Chinese or people from Pakistan’s Punjab and Sindh provinces earn profits from Balochistan’s resources instead of people from the province. The have-nots of Balochistan often take up militancy to fight for their rights and express their anger towards the foreigners in Balochistan, it said.

The majority of people in Balochistan live in extreme deprivation of resources, human rights and education, though Pakistan denies that people of the province are discontented. Its approach towards Balochistan has been security-centric while the development and governance agenda have taken the backseat. Currently, Balochistan faces the highest poverty in Pakistan, with 47 per cent of residents living below the poverty line. The province does not have basic infrastructure, employment opportunities, gas connections, and clean drinking water despite being a hub for extraction and mega projects, according to the Afghan Diaspora Network report.

“Experts blame the poor governance as a main culprit behind instability and deprivation. Quick to resort to repression, the state has considered Balochistan unidimensional as a security issue, ignoring the underlying social, economic, and political causes of the crisis. The ongoing ‘Operation Shaban’ might hit the headlines for killing terrorists, but it fails to ensure any sustainable peace and stability. The experts argue that the military cannot lead to durable peace without addressing the root causes of multiple causes of Balochistan’s unrest, including federalism, identity, and the fair distribution of resource wealth,” Kadeem Baloch, a freelance journalist based in Pakistan, wrote in the report.

On Saturday, the Baloch Republican Guards (BRG) claimed responsibility for destroying two electricity towers in the province’s Nasirabad, local media reported.

BRG spokesperson Dosteen Baloch said in a statement that the members of BRG blew up two 220 kV electricity towers going from the Och Power Plant to Punjab at the Piru Pul area near Mir Hassan area of Nasirabad, The Balochistan Post reported.

Two towers collapsed, and two more sustained severe damage as a result of the explosion. The spokesperson stated that BRG accepts responsibility for this attack and noted that such operations will continue until the independence of Balochistan from Pakistan.

Tehran, Aug 9: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will keep pursuing the path of peace under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed recently with the United States, provided that Washington helps build an atmosphere of trust.

Iran is trying to move on the “path of peace” based on the “paragraphs” in the MoU, Pezeshkian said on Saturday at a press conference, adding, “Now is the best time to reach an agreement, as there is solidarity, power and unity in the country.”

“We are determined to … use the MoU as the basis provided that the United States lets go of the atmosphere of distrust it has created, and an atmosphere of trust is formed,” he said.

He highlighted reciprocity in negotiations with the United States, saying Iran will match its commitments to the level of US compliance, Xinhua news agency reported.

If the other side seeks to resort to force, Iran will not acquiesce to that, he said, adding that the basis for Iran’s action will eventually be Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s decisions.

Earlier, Iranian President reaffirmed the country’s commitment to pursuing dialogue to safeguard its rights, while emphasising that Tehran will not be forced to surrender.

Pezeshkian made the remarks in an interview, published on the website of his office on Friday (local time), defending the Iranian government’s decision to enter negotiations with the United States and sign the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war.

Pezeshkian said Iran remains committed to its obligations as long as the United States fulfils its commitments under the MoU, adding, “Wherever they fail to fulfil their commitment, we have no obligation to continue.”

Earlier this week, Pezeshkian denied that he was stepping down and said he would “continue his work resolutely.” The remarks came amid rumoured “divisions” within Iran’s leadership over the MoU.

In June, Iran and the United States signed the MoU on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon. The two sides were scheduled to hold negotiations within a 60-day period to reach a final agreement, but recent escalation in the region has left the talks’ fate uncertain.

Beirut, Aug 8: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has said that progress had been made on border issues and the return of prisoners during the latest negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Rome.

Speaking at a cabinet session on Friday (local time), Aoun said the Rome talks addressed four main issues: a ceasefire, the demolition and bulldozing of houses, the border, and the return of prisoners and the identification of pilot areas, according to a statement released by the Lebanese presidency.

Aoun said “positive progress” had been made on the border and prisoners’ issues, expressing hope that practical steps would emerge soon, the statement said.

He said the US administration would work to address the remaining issues of a ceasefire and pilot areas, adding that US General Joseph Clearfield would arrive in Beirut soon to follow up on these matters, reports Xinhua news agency.

The remarks came a day after Israeli and Lebanese officials finished three days of negotiations in Rome aimed at advancing security arrangements along their border and implementing a framework agreement reached in Washington in late June, local media reported.

The talks, opposed by Hezbollah, are the seventh round of negotiations between the two governments.

Meanwhile, earlier on Thursday, UN officials announced that UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon reported the sharpest escalation in military activity between Israel and Hezbollah since late June, when a US-Israel-Lebanon framework agreement was signed.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) recorded 113 projectiles fired by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday, the highest daily figure observed since June 21.

UNIFIL did not detect any projectile launches by Hezbollah during the same period, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

UNIFIL also recorded significant aerial activity. On Wednesday, peacekeepers recorded 49 airspace violations, with a cumulative overflight time exceeding 131 hours, the highest level since June 23. They also observed three airstrikes northwest of Al Mansuri, said the spokesperson.

At sea, on Monday, UNIFIL observed IDF patrol boats crossing the Line of Buoys into Lebanese territorial waters before returning south, said Haq.