QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri has denied that military operation is being carried out in any part of Balochistan and said that Frontier Corps (FC) and provincial security forces were only conducting targeted operations in the province.

He was speaking during a session of the Balochistan Assembly here on Friday evening which was presided over by Speaker Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani.

He rejected the impression that a military operation was being carried out by the federal government and said that targeted operations were being carried out wherever required.

Nawab Zehri said that provincial government itself was conducting the targeted operations through FC and its provincial forces. “The provincial government itself is conducting operations against terrorists,” he said.

While taking the floor, provincial Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti said that a serving officer of an Indian spy agency was arrested by personnel of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

FC and provincial security forces conducting targeted operations

He said that a PkMAP member of the assembly, Syed Liaquat Agha, in the last session had said that the house was not aware who had arrested the Indian naval officer. Mr Bugti said: “The arrest of Indian Navy commander and RAW’s serving officer is a big achievement.”

He said that Kulbhushan Jadhav was not arrested by any local person or any tribal elder and handed over to the security forces. “It was ISI that arrested the Indian spy,” he said.

Responding to a question by JUI-F MPA Shahida Rauf about giving mandate to the provincial government for reconciliation with estranged Baloch leaders under the National Action Plan (NAP), the home minister said the draft of the plan was prepared by the national leadership and the chief minister of Balochistan was given the task of approaching the so-called angry Baloch leaders.

He said that Chief Minister Zehri was enjoying this mandate and the government was ready for a serious dialogue. He said that with the efforts of the government, disgruntled militants belonging to different banned organisations were surrendering before the government and joining the mainstream.

The minister said the government would not allow anyone to challenge its writ. “Anyone who will challenge the government will face action,” he said.

The house adopted two resolutions unanimously. One of the resolutions, moved by deputy opposition leader Zamarak Khan Piralizai, said that Balochistan comprised 43 per cent of the area of Pakistan and its people depended on agriculture for their livelihood.

“Unannounced and prolonged power loadshedding is being carried out in the province, causing damage to farmers and a number of peasants have been forced to switch over to other professions,” it said.

The resolution demanded of the provincial government to approach the federal government to reduce the duration of load shedding. It further demanded that farmers might be supplied electricity for 15 hours on daily basis.

Opposition leader Maulana Abdul Wasey, provincial Minister Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal and other legislators supported the resolution. The chair put the resolution to the house which passed it unanimously.

The house also unanimously adopted a resolution that urged the government to make Balochistan Art Gallery functional so that artists and the educated class could get benefit from it.

Jointly moved by MPs Samina Khan, Kishwar Jattak, Dr Shama Ishaq, Rahat Jamali, Arifa Siddique, Masooma Hayat, Spozmai Achakzai and Dr Ruqayya Saeed Hashmi, the resolution said the gallery did not have the required facilities.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2016