28 June 2004	Monday	09 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

QUETTA, June 27: Opposition members in the Balochistan Assembly staged a walkout from its session on Sunday and marched on the main roads of the city, chanting slogans against what they called 'anti-people budget.'

They were protesting against what they saw as 'unjust' distribution of development schemes in the public sector development programme for the year 2004-05.

Opposition and treasury benches, including leader of the house, traded hot words causing uproar in the house.

The protestors ignored Speaker Jamal Shah Kakar's directive that they put down banners which were inscribed with slogans against the government.

Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousuf, responding to speeches by Kachkol Baloch and Rahim Ziaratwal, assured that the government would listen to opposition's complaints that some of the areas had been neglected in the PSDP. He said threats or pressure tactics would further complicate the situation.

Opposition leader Kachkol Ali Baloch and parliamentary leader of PMAP Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal, on points of order, said that opposition members wanted that the government should revise the PSDP to accommodate the neglected areas in the uplift programme.

They said the government did not honour a commitment made on the floor of the house to adjust the opposition members in the PSDP.

He said verbal assurances would not settle the differences. If the government was serious to tackle the issue then the PSDP must be revised before the approval of budget on June 29.

Hot words were exchanged between Finance Minister Syed Ehsan Shah and Jan Muhammad Buledi of National Party which made the atmosphere bitter.

Opposition members Kachkol Baloch, Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal, Haji Juma Bugti, Muhammad Shafique, Mir Akbar Mengal, Rehmat Baloch, Abdul Majid Achakzai, Muhammad Naseem Turyala and Saleem Khoso boycotted the session.

They paraded through the Zarghoon Road, Jinnah Bazar, Shara-i-Iqbal, Shara-i-Liaquat, Prince Road, Masjid Road before reaching in front of the Quetta Press Club where they addressed the participants of the march.

They reiterated their resolve that opposition parties would spread their protest from the assembly hall to Quetta city and the interior of the province if the government did not meet their demands. Their key demand was that the government revise the PSDP in a way that did justice to all areas.

They alleged that development programme only covered the areas of chief minister, senior minister for planning and finance minister.

They also called the government incompetent and corrupt and said it had failed to get the province's due rights from the federal government. Similarly, it had taken a Rs4 billion overdraft from the State Bank of Pakistan and presented a deficit budget.

The proceedings in the house continued despite opposition's walkout. Several ministers and members from the treasury benches took part in the general debate on the new budget.

Deputy Speaker Mir Aslam Bhootani, provincial ministers Maulana Wahid Siddique, Syed Mitiullah Agha, Syed Sher Jan Baloch, Nasreen Khetran, Samina Saeed, and Shahida Rauf said that the finance minister had presented a balanced budget despite financial difficulties faced by the government.

They rejected the opposition's charge that a majority of areas had been ignored in the PSDP.

The session was adjourned till Monday.