November 7, 2003	Friday	Ramazan 11, 1424

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QUETTA, Nov 6: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf has asked the federal government to take steps for resolving the financial problems of the province.

The chief minister said Balochistan was becoming hub of problems due to a financial crisis. He said: “The federal government has not yet taken any practical step for resolving the problems despite various assurances”.

He warned a worst condition in next two months if the situation would not be taken seriously.

The chief minister said that he was facing pressure from the MPAs for releasing of funds for the development schemes including the Annual Development Programme.

He further said the provincial government was not in a position to fully implement the Public Sector Development Programme.

About expansion in the provincial cabinet, the chief minister said 13 more ministers would be inducted in the cabinet within next two days. He said: “We are waiting for the final list of the MMA’s nominees”.

He further said the issue of reshuffling of portfolios would also be resolved with mutual understanding.

About rocket firing and bomb blasts’ incidents in Balochistan, the chief minister said that he had ordered actions against the concerned police officers.

ROCKET ATTACK: Two policemen and a security guard were injured in two rockets and a hand grenade explosions on Thursday evening in the cantonment and Sariab road areas.

The first rocket had landed near a training shade of the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Centre and exploded there.

“No person was injured in the first explosion,” DIG Quetta range Mohammad Riaz said while confirming the incident.

And after 10 minutes of this, the second rocket exploded in an open area at the backside of Jinnah Market in the cantonment area.

A building was slightly damaged in this explosion while a security guard identified as Shahid Nadeem was injured. He was admitted to a city hospital.

In the third incident occurred at around 7pm, two policemen were injured by the splinters of a hand grenade hurled at a checkpoint of the Balochistan Reserve Police established at Sariab road.

Both the injured identified as Nasibullah and Abdul Zahir were rushed to the Civil Hospital.

The DIG said the rockets were fired somewhere from the Sariab area, adding that cases were registered against unknown persons in connection with these three blasts.

Three killed: Three men, including an uncle of Senator Mir Aslam Buledi of the National Party, were killed in an ambush on Thursday in Sarawan Bampusht village in Iran.

Mir Jan Mohammad Buledi, MPA of the National Party, told Dawn on telephone from Turbat on Thursday that Mohammad Karim, Haji Barkat Ali and Fateh Mohammad were ambushed in the Sarawan Bampusht village in Iran when they went to condole the death of their friend Mir Pahr, an Iranian Baloch, who was killed two days ago by his rivals.

On their return they were ambushed in Bampusht area and all the three died on the spot.

Ex-minister convicted: Accountability Court, Quetta, Judge Muhammad Naeem Kakar has convicted former minister and PPP leader Bismillah Khan Kakar of embezzlement in the Baitul Maal funds.

The court here on Thursday awarded three-year imprisonment and fined him Rs500,000 when the prosecution proved the corruption charge against the PPP leader.

The National Accountability Bureau had filed a corruption reference against Mr Kakar.

A former project director of the Balochistan education directorate, Baz Mohammad, was also jailed for one year, with a Rs50,000 fine.

Police arrested the PPP leader, who was on bail granted by the High Court, when he came out of the courtroom after the announcement of the judgment.