QUETTA, Oct 11: The Balochistan assembly on the last day of autumn session approved formation of nine standing committees, passed three bills, adopted two resolutions including recommendation to the government to reduce wheat price keeping in view Ramazan and drought in the province.

Opposition members twice staged walkout to protest against not allowing amendment in the standing committee formation to include one of its members and rejection of a resolution demanding implementation of resolutions and motions approved by the house.

Speaker Jamal Shah Kakar presiding over the proceedings on Saturday disposed of three adjournment motions when the movers did not press the issues following assurances by the ministers concerned.

Minister for S&GAD Mir Abdur Rehman Jamali, younger brother of the prime minister, on behalf of the provincial government assured the opposition members that the federal or Balochistan governments did not want to launch military operations in any area including Dera Bugti as the government believed in the people welfare.

He described the apprehensions of the opposition as hypothetical and ruled out use of force in the district urging the movers not to flare up issues that were untrue. Movers Mir Jan Buledi and Rehmat Ali did not press the motion.

Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousuf in the concluding speech of the session announced that his government would not compromise on the Balochistan rights.

He said the government would take opposition members in confidence on all important matters related to the province rights and maintained that he would never isolate or neglect the opposition members as they were also the people’s representatives.

The chief minister said every government had its priority and preferences related to policies, allocation of funds and development projects, but despite this precedence, the provincial government had been striving to accommodate the opposition members in the PSDP or other schemes.

“Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has himself acknowledged that Balochistan is facing financial constraints, so now it is the responsibility of everyone in the province including the prime minister to make concerted efforts to resolve these problems,” Jam Yousaf said.

Opposition leader Kachkol Ali Baloch and Rehmat Ali through a joint adjournment motion wanted to discuss the assassination of Maulana Azam Tariq, alleging that the government failed to protect the lives of citizens, but the movers did not press the issue when the minister for S&GAD said the National Assembly would debate the incident.

Jaffar Khan Mandokhel also did not press his adjournment motion when Minister for Food Maulana Faizullah assured that shortage of wheat in Zhob had been settled and the quota of the district had been increased to 61,000 bags.

The house passed the following three bills presented by Minister for S&GAD Mir Abdur Rehman Jamali: Balochistan consumer protection bill 2003, Balochistan civil servant (amendment) bill 2003 and Balochistan coastal development authority (amendment) bill 2003.

The opposition members had walked out of the house when the bills were tabled.

The minister for S&GAD after long deliberations with the coalition members and then with the opposition and independent bench members presented the names of chairmen and members of the standing committees that the house approved.

The committees and their members are:

(1) General administration: Mir Abdur Rehman Jamali, Shoaib Khan Nausherwani, Muhammad Younus Changezi, Habibur Rehman Muhammad Hasni, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, Miss Rehila Hamid Khan Durani, Maulvi Noor Muhammad, Maulana Bari Agha and Maulvi Faiz Muhammad.

(2) Food and agriculture: Nawabzada Tariq Magsi, Abdul Ghafoor Lehri, Shah Zaman Rind, Nawab Aslam Raisani, Kachkol Ali Baloch, Saleem Ahmed Khoso, Maulvi Faizullah, Maulvi Muhammad Ataullah and J. Parkash Satlini.

(3) Education, health, labour, local government and industry: Hafiz Hamadullah, Shahida Rauf, Farah Azeem Shah, Qaddus Bizenjo, Dr Rekaya Hashimi, Mir Amanullah Nothezai, Mir Juma Khan Bugti, Dr Shama Ishaq Baloch and Shafique Ahmed Khan.

(4) Finance, revenue and development: Syed Matiullah Agha, Maulana Hussein Ahmed Shurudy, Muhammad Asim Kurd Galu, Dr Zuba Khan Buledi, Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal, Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali, Mir Bakhtair Domki, Engineer Basnant Lal Gulshan and Shabir Ahmed Badani.

(5) Public accounts: Jamal Shah Kakar, Maulana Wasay, Maulana Abdul Wahid Siddique, Syed Ehsan Shah, Jaffar Khan Mandokhel, Shama Parveen Magsi, Rubina Irfan, Basant Lal Gulshan, Jan Muhammad Buledi, Shabir Ahmed Badani and Shah Zaman Rind.

(6) Privilege, rules and business: Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali, Nasreen Rehman Khetran, Syed Sher Jan Baloch, Habibur Rehman Muhammad Hasni, Muhammad Akbar Mengal, Abdul Majid Khan Achakzai, Asghar Ali Rind, Amina Khanum and Maulvi Dur Muhammad.

(7) Finance: Jamal Shah Kakar, Syed Ehsan Shah, Sardar Azam Musakhel, Maulvi Abdur Rahim Bazai, Rehmat Ali, Sardar Masood Luni and Mir Qaddus Bizenjo.

(8) Official assurances: Asim Kurd, Amanullah Nothezai, Simana Saeed, Maulana Hussain Ahmed Shurudy, Muhammad Younus Chengazi and Akhtar Hussain Lango.

(9) House and library: Muhammad Aslam Bhootani, Hafiz Hamadullah, Prince Fasial Daud, Ambrose John France, Syed Mumtaz Hussain Shah, Nawabzada Balaach Marri and Marmen Spozmi.

Sardar Sanaullah Zehri asked the chair that his name from the standing committee should be deleted but the speaker asked him to give the requset in writing.

The session that began on Sept 18, 2003, was prorogued sine die.