QUETTA: The Baloch­is­tan Assembly adopted on Monday the Balochistan Urban Immovable Property Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2015, amid reservations voiced by opposition members.

The bill was tabled by Minister for Revenue Jaffar Khan Mandokhel.

The opposition members wanted a briefing on the bill by the minister before its approval.

Mr Mandokhel said the bill had been introduced in the house days ago and members had been given sufficient time to study it. The minister said no assurance had been given to members that he would brief them on the bill.

Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch disagreed with a demand that the bill should be deferred and said if opposition members wanted changes in it they should follow due procedure for the purpose.

Sardar Abdur Rehman Khetran, Shahida Rauf and Zamarak Khan Achakzai from the opposition benches spoke against approval of the bill in its present form and reiterated their demand for the minister to brief the house on the legislation.

On points of order ministers Jaffar Mandokhel and Dr Hamid Khan Achakzai and treasury bench members Nasrullah Zeray and Syed Liaquat Agha accused the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) of obstructing the issuance of computerised national identity cards to people in Balochistan.

They suggested that Nadra’s top officials should be summoned to the house for clarification.

Dr Ruqiya Hashimi, who presided over the session, endorsed the suggestion.

The session was adjourned till Thursday.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2015

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