10 October 2004	Sunday	24 Shaban 1425

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

QUETTA, Oct 9: The Balochistan Assembly on Saturday admitted two identical adjournment motions of opposition members which sought to discuss the prevailing law and order situation in the province.

T he debate on the motions would be held on Tuesday.

Speaker Jamal Shah Kakar, who presided over the session, deferred all questions to the next session of the assembly as ministers concerned were absent but the chair asked the senior minister, who is also parliamentary leader of the Muttihada Majlis-i-Amal, to ensure the presence of his party ministers on the questions day that were related to their respective departments.

Muhammad Naseem Turyala of the PMAP and Mir Akbar Mengal (BNP-Mengal) tabled two identical motions seeking debate on the law and order situation. They accused the government of being failed to maintain the law and order situation.

The movers said that the law and order situation had become very grave as anti-social elements and law-enforcement agencies were victimizing the people and political opponents respectively but the government itself was incompetent to establish its writ.

The opposition members, while justifying the admissibility of the motions, referred to incidents in Quetta, Killi Abdullah, Khuzdar, Wadh, Chaman, Dera bugti, Kohlu, Hub, Sanjavi, Usta Muhammad, Zhob, Turbat and Panjgur. But Home Minister Mir Shoiab Nausherwani rejected the claim of the opposition that the government had not taken appropriate measures to check lawlessness effectively, adding that due to terrorism the whole country besides the international community were confronted with this situation.

He claimed that criticism and counter-chargers would encourage criminals and outlaws, saying the opposition members should sit with the government to suggest proposals that should be made to eradicate crimes from society.

At least 12 members from treasury and opposition benches, including the health minister Hafiz Hamadullah, participated in the general discussion on the an adjournment motion about serious situation in government hospitals and basic health units in the province.

Members from both sides expressed deep concern over deteriorating situation in hospitals, basic health units and rural health centres in all district headquarters of Balochistan.

They complained about the non-presence of the health staff and doctors in the BHUs and RHCs as these government employees only come in the first week of each month to receive their salaries.

The members alleged that all BHUs and RHCs remained closed for months and months as neither the health minister nor officials deem it necessary to visit the government health centres.

They alleged that health department staff working in BHUs and RHCs sell expired drugs to the people in rural areas, and maintained that the government was least interested in supplying essential medical equipment in the hospitals.