June 26, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 21, 1429

QUETTA, June 25: Provincial ministers belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Q staged a walkout from the Balochistan assembly session on Wednesday when JUI-F and PPP ministers Maulana Ghulam Sarwar and Mir Sadiq Umrani levelled serious allegations of corruption against the previous government of the PML-Q.

Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani, who was presiding over the session, urged the members to speak on the budget, instead of criticising each other during debate on the budget for 2008-09.

Provincial Minister for Labour and Manpower Maulana Ghulam Sarwar held the PML-Q-led coalition government responsible for financial crisis in the province and said it was the wrong policies of the Jam administration that had brought the province under heavy financial burden.

He said one could not hold Islamabad or Punjab responsible for the backwardness in the province and accused the previous government of looting public money and doing nothing for the people.Maulana Sarwar said no new development scheme was included in the budget because of the financial crisis. He accused the caretaker government of using public money for the election campaigns of PML-Q candidates.

Four provincial ministers belonging to the PML-Q ---- Abdul Rehman Toor Atmankhel, Dr Ruquiya Saeed Hashimi, Miss Rahila Hameed Khan Durrani and Mrs Nasreen Rehman Khetiran ---- besides MPA Tariq Masuri Bugti protested over the speech of Maulana Sarwar and walked out of the session.

Minister for Communications and Works Mir Sadiq Umrani supported the stance of Maulana Sarwar and said it was the democratic right of every member to speak in the house and expose the wrongdoings of the previous government. “PML-Q is responsible for the backwardness and financial crisis in Balochistan,” he said and asked the speaker to allow members to express their views.

Provincial Home Minister Mir Zafarullah Zehri, Haji Ali Madad Jattak and some other members brought the PML-Q ministers back into the house.

Mrs Nasreen Khetiran said the JUI-F and BNP-Awami were coalition partners in the government of Jam Mohammad Yousuf and if the previous government did anything wrong they were equally responsible for it. “JUI-F had 18 ministries in the pervious government,” she pointed out.

Mrs Khetiran praised the new budget and said government should ensure proper usage of development funds.

Provincial minister Begum Ghazala Irshad Gola said funds had not been allocated in the budget for the welfare of women and termed it discrimination. She called for the establishment of a separate department for the welfare of women in the province.

Mir Zahoor Buledi raised objection over not allocation of funds for the rehabilitation of displaced people of Dera Bugti and Kohlu. He announced Rs1 million assistance from his MPA fund for the fund established by Speaker Aslam Bhootani for the rehabilitation the displaced people.