QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly on Saturday adopted a resolution, demanding establishment of more community schools in the province and regularisation of the services of teachers as well as the employees of the Balochistan Development Authority (BDA).

The resolution was moved by the opposition leader in the assembly, Advocate Malik Sikandar Khan.

Speaking on the resolution, Mr Khan said that Balochistan needed a large number of new schools because millions of children in the province were out of schools.

He said for bringing improvement in the education sector the provincial government had established community schools across the province in which around 40,000 students were enrolled. In the schools, he said, 786 teachers had been working on a contract basis for a long time. He urged the provincial government to regularise services of these teachers and contract employees of the BDA.

Another resolution tabled by the opposition leader was unanimously adopted by the house. The resolution called for debate in the house on what it called contradictory statements by the government and representatives of the doctors’ community in the province after the recovery of Dr Ibrahim Khalil who had been kidnapped a few days ago.

Sana Baloch of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal said that the doctors’ representatives had claimed that ransom money of Rs50 million had been paid to the kidnappers of Dr Khalil for his release. He regretted that the government was silent on the matter.

He said a long strike by doctors in protest against the kidnapping of Dr Khalil had badly affected patients who had travelled to Quetta from far flung areas of the province for getting medical facilities. He said even after spending Rs42 billion for bringing improvement in the province’s law and order situation the provincial government was not able to protect the life and property of people.

MPA Mohammad Mobeen said that doctors missed no opportunity for observing strikes in public hospitals. But, he added, they continued their practice in their private clinics.

Mohammad Asghar Achakzai of the Awami National Party stressed the need for making joint efforts for curbing kidnapping incidents in Balochistan. He said a number of people had migrated from Chaman to other parts of the country because of the rising number of kidnapping cases. He said the kidnapping of veteran tribal leader Arbab Zahir Kasi during the previous government’s tenure raises many questions over the security situation in the province.

In his ruling, Speaker Abdul Qudus Bizenjo said that both the government and the opposition should play role for bringing improvement in the province’s security situation.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2019