QUETTA, June 21: Three main political parties of Balochistan have decided to form a coordination committee to jointly work for the protection of the rights of the people of their province and organise on July 6 an all parties conference in Quetta for the same purpose.

Leaders of Balochistan National Movement (BNM), Balochistan National Party (BNP) and Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) met in Quetta on Saturday and criticize the Muttahida Majlis Amal (MMA) for refusing to join the protest of the opposition parties in provincial assembly on Friday against the LFO.

The meeting decided to form a nine-member coordination committee. Former speaker of Balochistan Assembly Mir Abdul Jabbar presided over the meeting.

The nine members of the committee are: Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Dr Yasin Baloch, Dr Ishaq Baloch, Habib Jalib, Mir Nooruddin Mengal, Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Mir Humayun Khan Marri, Agha Shahid Bugti and Senator Amanullah Kanrani.

The committee will elect a coordination secretary every month giving turn to each of three members of political parties. Habib Jalib of BNP has been elected the first secretary.

The meeting on Saturday took note of growing sectarian violence in the province, disturbing situation in Gwadar with particular reference to empowerment of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) who can now arrest anyone without giving reason under MPO-16 and the provincial autonomy.