QUETTA, June 20: The MMA members found themselves in an awkward position when the opposition members staged a noisy protest in the Balochistan Assembly against the LFO during the budget speech by the finance minister on Friday.

Soon after the recitation from the holy Quran when proceedings were to start, members belonging to the Balochistan National Movement, Jamhoori Watan Party, Balochistan National Party (Mengal), Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and People’s Party Parliamentarians started thumping their desks and shouting slogans “No, LFO, no”, “Restore constitution”, “Military dictator has no power to amend constitution”.

Nawab Aslam Raisani of the PPP, opposition leader Kachkol Ali Baloch and Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal of the PMAP asked Senior Minister Maulana Wasay and others members of the MMA to join them in the protest like it was doing in the Senate, the National Assembly and Punjab and Sindh assemblies. The MMA members, who share power with the PML-Q in the province, said nothing and kept smiling.

Later, opposition members walked out of the house.

Kachkol Ali, Nawab Raisani and Rahim Ziaratwal told newsmen that the MMA had adopted double standard on the LFO.

Three ministers, Maulana Wasay, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri and Mir Abdur Rehman Jamali, went to the opposition members and urged them to end their walkout, but in vain.

Kachkol Ali refused to end the protest and told the ministers that they would decide about the future course of action on Sunday.

He alleged that the finance minister wanted to deceive the members and people as he had not presented the ADP before the house. He said there were serious differences between the PML-Q and the MMA on the allocation of funds.

In reply to a question, Kachkol Ali bracketed the MMA with the United States for its “double standard”, saying it protested against the LFO in Islamabad but not in Quetta. Similarly, he added, Washington would not criticize Israel for human rights violations in Palestine but would ask China to respect rights in Beijing.