QUETTA: Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti of the PML-N staged a walkout from the Balochistan assembly on Friday because he was not invited to a meeting which was chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the previous day.

The law and order situation was discussed at the meeting.

Legislators of Mr Bugti’s party and some opposition members joined the walkout.

Lawmakers, including some women members, assailed the attitude of police during the prime minister’s visit to Quetta.

Speaker Mir Jan Mohammad Jamali formed a committee headed by Yasmin Lehri to investigate the matter and submit a report within 15 days as to why police insulted the lawmakers.

Mr Bugti refused to brief the house on the recovery of bodies in Totak, Khuzdar, in protest against the cold shoulder he got from his own government on Thursday. He was angry particularly because home secretary and the inspector general of police, who were under his command, were invited to the premier’s meeting but he was not.

The move, he said, was aimed at showing that he was a powerless minister. “This is unacceptable,” he remarked and walked out of the house.

To express solidarity with Mr Bugti, the PML-N members and opposition lawmakers led by Maulana Abdul Wasay also walked out of the house.

They, however, returned after the speaker sent some members with an assurance that the matter would be taken up with the leader of the house.

Rahila Durrani of the PML-N assailed police for not letting her proceed to the Governor House where the meeting on law and order was being held. Keeping in view the mood of the PML-N and opposition members, the chairman constituted a committee to look into the matter.

Provincial Ministers Dr Hamid Khan Achakzai and Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party said the matter should have been sorted out in the cabinet instead of making it public.

Mir Abdul Khaliq of the National Party regretted police behavior as both home minister and opposition were part of the government.

The house approved a joint resolution tabled by Nasrullah Zeray slamming occupation of Bazai tribe’s land by the Pakistan Air Force authorities without their approval.

The resolution demanded that legal procedure be followed instead of depriving the lawful heirs of the land. The PAF occupied 11,500 acres and the matter should be settled with mutual consultation, they demanded.

The session was adjourned till Saturday.