QUETTA: Members of the Balochistan Assembly accused TV channel anchorpersons and news analysts on Tuesday of making baseless allegations of provincial lawmakers’ alleged involvement in horse trading in coming Senate elections.

The lawmakers, on points of order, criticised these anchorpersons and analysts and said that they should mention and expose names of the lawmakers involved in the horse trading instead of making sweeping remarks against the entire house and all lawmakers of the provincial assembly.

They said that if one or two members of the assembly had proposed names of some independent candidates that did not mean that the entire house was involved in this activity and that these analysts/anchorpersons had no right to blame all members of the provincial assembly for alleged misdeeds some lawmakers.

Take a look: Balochistan legislators violate party policies in Senate elections

They said that as the party leadership of the coalition government and opposition members had already announced names of candidates contesting Senate elections, then how these anchorpersons/analysts had assumed that members of the Balochistan Assembly would violate the party discipline to elect some non-party senators.

Taking part in the debate, Chief Minister Dr Malik Baloch, Syed Liaquat Agha, Sardar Saleh Bhootani, Dr Hamid Khan Achakzai, Husna Bano, Rehmat Baloch, Sardar Abdur Rehman Khetran and Zamarak Khan Achakzai said that they believed in principles of democracy and would promote democratic values to strengthen democratic institutions in the province.

MPAs criticise TV anchorpersons for accusing them of being involved in horse trading in coming Senate elections

They said that Balochistan had its own traditions and lawmakers of the house would retain the spirit of these traditions and act in accordance with directives of the party high command while electing senators.

PIA MANAGEMENT: The house passed a resolution, demanding of the federal government to direct the PIA management to restore the previous schedule of flights between Quetta and Islamabad via Zhob-Dera Ismail Khan to help people.

The lawmakers said that people were facing hardships due to cancellation of flight schedule connecting the province with other cities.

Criticising policies of PIA, the lawmakers said that the PIA on the one hand had suspended flights between Quetta and Islamabad via Zhob and between Turbat and Muscat and on the other it had increased fares of flights despite reduction in international oil prices.

The chief minister, on a point of order of Obaidullah Babat, said that the government had taken notice of the firing on the residence of Nasrullah Zeray, a member of the house, and had directed police to arrest culprits immediately.

The house passed a motion allowing the Election Commission to use premises of the assembly as a polling station for Senate polls on March 5.

Speaker Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali presided over the session.

The session was adjourned till March 6.

Published in Dawn March 4th , 2015

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