QUETTA Aug 28: Opposition members in the Balochistan Assembly on Monday strongly protested against prorogation of the assembly session and said the province was in turmoil but the rulers were unwilling to debate the killing of Nawab Bugti in the house.

Ten opposition members and one treasury member— Mir Haidar Jamali — attended the Monday’s session.

Deputy Speaker Muhammad Aslam Bhootani who was chairing the session, asked the secretary of the assembly soon after recitation from the holy Quran to read out the governor’s prorogation order. The opposition members, however, stood up and criticised the adjournment. Later the chair, on the insistence of the opposition members, allowed offering of Fateh for Nawab Akbar Bugti. He also allowed them a few minutes to pay tributes to the Baloch nationalist leader.

Opposition leader Kachkol Ali Baloch said that when an important incident occurs in a civilised country they summon their parliament, but in Pakistan even an ongoing session is prorogued to avoid debates. He said he could not understand that why the government was treating them in that way.

Sardar Sanaullah Zehri of the National Party criticised the chief minister and other provincial ministers for being absent from the session despite happening of a serious tragic incident in the province. He said the federal and provincial governments were responsible for the killing of Nawab Bugti. He said the deceased was a leader of national stature but CM Jam Yousuf, who claimed to be a Baloch, avoided attending the session and paying tributes to the late leader.

Mr Zehri said that his grand father Nawab Nauroz Khan was killed in 1960 by armed forces during the days of President Ayub Khan and now, after four decades, another Baloch leader had been killed by army.

Mir Akbar Mengal of the Balochistan National Party (Mengal), lashed out at Punjab leadership and army generals. He claimed that cluster bombs were used in Dera Bugti and Kohlu against the civilian population. The Baloch people, he said, would avenge the killing of Nawab Bugti and “would never forgive the assailants”.

Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party said that the only fault of Nawab Bugti was that he raised voice for the rights of the Balochs but usurpers did not tolerate the leader who refused to bow before them.

Criticising prorogation of the session, he said assembly was the only forum where issues of national importance should be debated, but the legislature had been made subservient to a military dictator and it had ceased to perform its real functions.

Rehmatullah Baloch of the NP and Akhtar Hussain Lango of the BNP-M, while lauding the heroic struggle of the late leader for the rights of Baloch people, said that they would not compromise on the national rights of the oppressed people.

Later, while addressing a press conference in the chamber of the opposition leader, MPAs Kachkol Ali, Sardar Zehri, Mr Ziaratwal, Mir Mengal and Shafique Ahmed Khan of the opposition side alleged that chemical weapons and ultra-modern bombs were used to eliminate Nawab Bugti.

They said the MMA was cooperating with the ARD and Ponam to oust the Musharraf government but at the provincial level they were supporting the PML-led government’s anti-people policies.

They said if MMA ministers were sincere to Balochistan, they should have attended the assembly session. They said the killing of Nawab Bugti had given impetus to political movement that would continue till achievement of national rights.