June 21, 2006	Wednesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 24, 1427

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QUETTA, June 20: Members of opposition on Tuesday tore up copies of budget proposals and alleged that the provincial government had failed to present a pro-people or a balanced fiscal plan before staging a walkout of the assembly session.

Protesting legislators were holding placards inscribed with slogans criticising the budget, terming it anti-people. They also shouted slogans, calling for an end to the military operation in Balochistan, release of political activists, withdrawal of cases against political workers and stopping the killing of innocent people.

Later, speaking at a joint press conference in the opposition leader’s chamber, the opposition members asserted that the provincial government, which had already taken an overdraft of Rs15 billion from the State Bank of Pakistan, had no resources to implement development projects for which Rs10 billion had been allocated in budget for 2006-07.

They said that they had walked out from the budget session to expose the provincial government’s anti-Balochistan policies, adding that presentation of what they termed a false budget would not resolve the problems faced by the province’s people.

Leader of opposition Kachkol Ali said four days ago, the Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousuf had himself complained in a statement that the Punjab chief minister had discretionary funds of more than Rs8 billion at this disposal while Balochistan’s total development funds were not more than Rs7 billion rupees.

He was accompanied by Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal, Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani and Mir Akbar Mengal, parliamentary leaders of the PMAP, the PPP Parliamentarian and the BNP (Mengal).

He said that the chief minister’s acknowledgment proved that the federal government was treating Balochistan in a step-motherly manner despite exploiting the province’s resources, including Sui gas fields. Opposition leader claimed that resistance movement in Balochistan was against the federal government’s financial exploitation and political victimisation, adding that Islamabad wanted a sycophant government in the province to protect its own interests at the cost of the province.

Criticising the ruling PML and MMA coalition, Mr Kachkol said that President Musharraf wanted to maintain a status quo on the NFC award, which benefited one province and deprived the other three of their just shares.

He said that the Jam-led coalition government had no political will.

Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal claimed that the provincial government had no funds to implement its Rs10 billion development programme as the federal government had allocated only Rs260 million for Balochistan in the federal PSDP, which was estimated to cost Rs78 billion.

He said non-availability of funds would force the government to complete ongoing development projects instead of starting work on new schemes while a mojor portion of funds would be utilised in Lasbela, Qila Saifullah and Turbat, the home districts of chief minister, senior minister and finance minister, respectively.

Mr Ziaratwal said that the provincial government had failed to recover Rs600 billion dues owed by the federal government on gas from Sui field while it could not get its just share in gas development surcharge, adding that the government had also failed to recover Rs9 billion in arrears from the Sindh government in connection with Hub water.