July 02, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 27, 1429

QUETTA, July 1: Members of the Balochistan Assembly on Tuesday called upon the Sindh government to release the province’s share of water from Indus.

The assembly asked Minister for Irrigation Sardar Aslam Bizenjo to take up the matter with the Sindh government because districts irrigated by Pat Feeder and Khirthar canals were facing an acute shortage of water.Speaker Aslam Bhootani presided over the session.

Mir Zahoor Khoso, who raised the issue of water shortage in Nasirabad and Jaffarabad districts on an adjournment motion, said that rice sowing had been severely affected.

Ministers Sadiq Umrani and Rustam Jamali expressed concern over the attitude of the Sindh irrigation department.Irrigation Minister Sardar Aslam Bizenjo informed the house that he planned to visit Karachi for talks with his counterpart to resolve the issue.

He said if Sindh did not resolve the issue, Balochistan would call back its representative from Irsa.

Members were divided on the issue of nominating a woman legislator to represent Balochistan in the Pakistan Nursing Council.

The speaker asked Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Robina Irfan to propose the name of Dr Ruquia Hashmi, but the minister refused to move the proposal.

The speaker told her that she couldn’t defer the motion because assembly rules did not allow her to do so.

He said that she should propose alternative names.

A majority of members, however, wanted the issue deferred till the next session.

Treasury members faced embarrassment when a resolution was moved by provincial ministers Sardar Aslam Bizenjo and Younas Mulazai suggesting that the provincial government should give ownership rights to government employees living in residential colonies in Quetta and Khuzdar.

Opposing the resolution, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, Mir Sadiq Umrani, Asadullah Baloch, Ismail Gujar, Rahila Durrani, Jaffar Khan Mandokhel and Habibur Rehman Mohammad Hasni said that the issue should first be discussed by the cabinet.

“If the ownership of the quarters is given to employees where will new employees go,” one of them asked.

They said the government provided funds for repair and renovation of the colonies because it was charging rent from employees.

Earlier, newly-elected members Asfandyar Kakar, Nawabzada Tariq Magsi and Pir Abdul Qadir Gilani took the oath of office.