March 9, 2006	Thursday	Safar 8, 1427

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QUETTA, March 8: Opposition leaders in the Balochistan Assembly and Senators-elect of nationalist parties on Wednesday vowed to continue their struggle against what they termed state terrorism in the province.

They urged the leaders of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (Ponam) to wage a united struggle to rid the country of military rule.

Leaders of the Jamhoori Watan Party, the National Party and Pukhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party were speaking at a reception hosted by Leader of Opposition in the provincial assembly Kachkol Ali for newly-elected senators of opposition parties at the assembly lawn.

The speakers accused the ruling PML of indulging in horse trading in the Senate elections.

Kachkol Ali, National Party chief Dr Hayee Baloch, newly-elected senators Agha Shahid Hasan Bugti of the JWP, Abdur Rahim Mandokhel of the PMAP and Dr Malik Baloch of the NP spoke on the occasion.

They pledged not to compromise the national rights of the Pakhtun or Baloch people.

They condemned the operation in Dera Bugti and Kohlu and said that smaller nationalities would not give up their struggle against the domination of one province.

They said that unwise government policies had created disharmony between smaller nationalities and the federation, adding that there would be no political stability until provinces were given control over their resources.

ARMS SIEZED: The Frontier Corps has foiled an attempt to smuggle a huge quantity of arms and ammunition and drugs to the interiors of Balochistan on Wednesday.

According to official sources, Kalat Scouts, a wing of Frontier Corps, raided the Choor Nullah area of Kharan district and seized the contraband which had been concealed under ground.

The material seized include 84 anti-tank and anti personnel mines, a heavy machine-gun, a large number of mortar shells, two big boxes of explosive martial and several thousands of rounds of different weapons.

BUDGET: The city district nazim, Mir Maqbool Lehri, on Wednesday presented what he termed a balanced Rs1.45 billion budget for 2005-06.

Presenting the budget in the Quetta district council, the city nazim said that funds allocated for development would solve civic problems in the provincial capital.

The session was presided over by the chairman of the city district council, Manzoor Ahmed Kakar.

The city district nazim estimated the total receipts at over Rs1.45 billion and said that the expenditures would not exceed the revenues.

Mir Lehri said that non-development expenditure would consume 88.65 per cent of the budget while 11.35 per cent had been allocated for development schemes.