QUETTA: Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch assured the Balochistan Assembly on Saturday that report of a medical committee tasked with determining the cause of deaths of five children belonging to Qila Saifullah would be presented before the house.

The assurance came after a heated debate over the deaths, reportedly after the children were administered vaccine during a measles eradication campaign being carried out by the government.

During the house proceedings presided over by Speaker Mir Jan Mohammad Jamali, opposition members claimed that the deaths had been caused by substandard vaccines.

Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch rejected the claim, saying that the children might have been suffering from some diseases.

He informed the house that the medical committee comprised members of the World Health Organisation which had provided the vaccines to the government.

Answering questions about the Reko Diq project and allotment of land in Gwadar, the chief minister said he was ready to brief members about details of the projects.

He said that without the consent of the assembly he would never approve of the Reko Diq project.

The session was adjourned till Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2015

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