QUETTA, Jan 15: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousuf has claimed that the government decision to cancel all plots in the Singhar housing scheme has not affected the common man.

Speaking on Thursday, the first day of the Balochistan assembly's new session, he maintained the director-general of the Gwadar Development Authority was an honest official and no one could challenge his integrity.

He lamented that the opposition members in the past had demanded to cancel plots in the same housing scheme alleging that army generals, influential bureaucrats, landlords and capitalists from other provinces were buying the land, but now when the government had cancelled them, the opposition was raising hue and cry.

Jam Yousuf said the federal government in consultation with the provincial government had decided to cancel all plots in the housing scheme. He observed that now the issue was before the court, the government would wait for its verdict.

The chief minister assured the members that no injustice would be done to the common man in the cancellation of the plots. Speaker Jamal Shah Kakar, who chaired the Thursday's proceedings, exercised his powers and expelled the PMAP parliamentary leader through the sergeant-at-arms when a resolution to condemn the Dec 14 and 25 incidents was tabled and the opposition and treasury members traded hot words.

Jam Yousuf concluding the discussion on the resolution, tabled by Mir Muhammad Aslam Bhootani to slam attempts on the president's life, stressed that it was the prime responsibility of the government and opposition to cooperate in combating terrorism.

PMAP member Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal and the mover, besides Mir Shoaib Nausherwani, exchanged hot words when Mr Ziaratwal was reluctant to accept the constitutional status of President Musharraf, saying that they condemned terrorist attacks, but his legality was controversial.

The chair directed the sergeant-at-arms to take the PMAP member out of the house when he continued his speech despite order to take the seat. However, when the chair asked treasury bench members to bring him back, the chief minister himself took him back. The house unanimously adopted the resolution.

Kachkol Baloch, speaking on the feasibility of his adjournment motion related to the cancellation of plots in the Singhar housing scheme, described the government decision as unlawful on the pretext that the cancellation needed a bill from the house to justify the action, but the governor unilaterally took the action at the Centre's behest.

The opposition leader referred to articles 24 and 152 of the Constitution that directs for fulfilling certain procedures to dispose of the governmental matters related to the public interests. The governor, he said, had interferred in the provincial matters.

Senior Minister Maulana Wasay justified the cancellation while another Minister Mir Abdur Rehman Jamali pointed out that matter was pending before the court and it could not be discussed in the house.

The mover did not press it following the assurance of the chief minister. The adjournment motions of Sardar Azam Musakhel, Naseem Turyala, Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal were also not pressed.

The privilege motion of Shama Ishaq Baloch and Sardar Azam Musakhel were disposed of when not insisted after an assurance by the ministers concerned to resolve the matters.

The house passed the resolution of Mr Ziaratwal demanding establishment of a Haj directorate in Quetta. Similarly, the resolution of Mr Musakhel, urging the government to link various areas in Musakhel district with direct telephone dialling, was also adopted.

A majority of the members rejected the resolution of Turyala suggesting proposals to improve the education standard, and another resolution demanding recruitment to the district governments offices from grade 11 to 16 through the provincial public service commission also met the same fate. Mir Jan Muhammad Buledi tabled the resolution. The session was adjourned till Friday.