Majority of MPAs back cantonments - Balochistan PA session prorogued
By Amanullah Kasi
QUETTA, June 10: A majority of Balochistan Assembly members on Thursday rejected a privilege motion of opposition leader Kachkol Ali Baloch against the government not honouring the house's resolution
against the establishment of cantonments in the province and supported their construction.
The assembly could not take up the agenda due to lack of quorum in its session requisitioned by the opposition. Opposition members resigned from the standing committees of the assembly in protest against the attitude of the government for neglecting them in distribution of development funds and other decisions.
Home Minister Mir Mohammad Shoaib Nausherwani backed the construction of cantonments in national interest and maintained that the opposition should not create differences between the army or Punjab and the people. He said there was no sound logic in the apprehensions of opponents of cantonments.
He referred to rocket attacks in Gwadar and Sui and said establishment of cantonments was meant to foil the designs of saboteurs and protect sensitive installations in the province to ensure the completion of development projects for the welfare of people.
Kachkol Baloch accused the federal government of neglecting the resolution passed unanimously by the assembly against the construction of cantonments. He said that on the Wednesday night federal forces opened fire in Dera Bugti and injured several people when owners resisted forcible occupation of private land.
The National Party leader warned that disregard for the provincial assembly's resolution and aspirations of the natives and bypassing of legal procedure would invite violence and prove dangerous for the interest of the country.
He said that if the government used force to suppress the voice of natives in Dera Bugti, the opposition parties in Makran, Chaman, Khuzdar and other areas would come out in support of the affected people and counter the government's illegal acts.
When Deputy speaker Mir Mohammad Aslam Bhootani, who presided over the session, announced that he would seek the opinion of the members through voting to determine the fate of motion, the opposition challenged the decision.
The deputy speaker asked the members who were against the motion to stand up and a majority of those present in the house stood up. Immediately after this the deputy speaker said those who supported cantonments should stand up and a majority stood up.
The opposition condemned the deputy speaker's ruling and accused him of partiality as the assembly witnessed pandemonium and members from both sides traded charges.
The deputy speaker adjourned the session for 15 minutes. A privilege motion of Jan Mohammad Buledi of the National Party pertaining to spending of Rs41 million from the chief minister's secret fund in his home district Lasbela was disposed of. Mr Buledi also alleged that the chief minister had allocated bulldozer hours to his favourites.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mir Abdur Rehman Jamali opposed the motion and claimed that the chief minister has discretionary powers to utilize the secret funds.
Kachkol Baloch, Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal of the Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and Mir Akbar Mengal of the Balochistan National Party (Mengal) accused the provincial government of nepotism.
They alleged that the prime minister's interest was confined to Jaffarabad, the chief minister's priority was Lasbela and the senior provincial minister diverted funds to Qila Saifullah.
The deputy speaker disposed of the motion and directed the government to distribute bulldozer hours judiciously. The session could not resume after the break due to lack of quorum pointed out by the revenue minister.
The session was prorogued amid protest by the opposition. The agenda of the session included debate on the Gwadar master plan and other issues but the opposition failed to maintain quorum due to the absence of one of its members, no MPA from the treasury benches came to the house after the break.
