QUETTA: Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti told the provincial assembly on Saturday that the law and order situation in the province had improved because of adequate action taken against miscreants and the crime rate on the whole had dropped by 33 per cent.

However, Leader of Opposition Maulana Abdul Wasay rejected the claim during the session held with Deputy Speaker Mir Quddus Bizenjo in the chair.

Winding up the debate on the adjournment motions tabled by Manzoor Khan Kakar and Zamarak Khan Piralizai to discuss the abduction of Arbab Zahir Kasi, attitude of FC personnel towards citizens and law and order situation in the province, the home minister expressed satisfaction over the performance of law-enforcement agencies.

He said that when the coalition government led by Chief Minister Dr Malik Baloch assumed office incidents of kidnapping and enforced disappearances were the order of the day, cases of dumping of mutilated bodies were reported frequently, targeted killings were common and innocent people were eliminated in sectarian attacks. That situation, he added, no longer existed and things had changed to a great extent.

Conceding that the government is still confronted with insurgency and organised crime, he said that provincial and federal governments were on the same page on the issue and there was consensus that talks should be held with militants. He said the chief minister would soon convene an all-party conference so that a policy could be formulated to initiate dialogue with insurgents and bring normalcy to Balochistan.

Mr Bugti said the issue of missing persons was complicated as the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) claimed that thousands of people had disappeared but the commission set up by the federal government to probe the matter said that only 50-60 people were missing.

He said the government was making all out efforts to restore peace in the province and the crime rate had dropped significantly over the past six months.

Maulana Wasay, the opposition leader, did not agree with the minister’s views, saying people were still being kidnapped, dumping of bodies continued, the VBMP had still been making complaints about enforced disappearances and, as was the case during the previous government, highways are not safe today either.

He pointed out that earlier youths were abducted and their bodies were thrown on streets and now the same thing was happening to children.

“How could the government claim any improvement in the situation,” he asked.

Maulana Wasay said that mere discussion would not help solve the problem. However, he added that the opposition would cooperate with the government in any effort made for restoring peace in the province.

Ghulam Dastagir Badani, Prince Ahmed Ali, Jaffar Khan Mandokhel, Dr Hamid Khan Achakzai, Mufti Gulab Khan, Husun Bano, Mir Asim Kurd, Sardar Mustafa Tareen, Maulana Mahazullah Musakhel, Mir Khalid Lango, Yasmin Lehri, Sardar Abdur Rehman Khetran, Syed Reza Agha and Rahila Durani also took part in the debate. The session was adjourned till Tuesday.