QUETTA: Members of the Balochistan Assembly and representatives of civil society and media on Thursday backed three proposed amendments to the Constitution through bills seeking increase in national and provincial assemblies’ seats of Balochistan, establishment of new provinces and increase in the child age in labour laws.

The Balochistan Assembly lawmakers and civil society members endorsed the proposed amendments to the Constitution while attending a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice which was held here on Thursday to seek their views on the subject.

The chairperson of the committee, Senator Javed Abbasi, presided over the meeting.

Senators belonging to Balochistan want the federal government to increase seats of Balochistan in the National Assembly from the present 17 to 37. They also want the provincial assembly seats to be increased to 80 from the present 65.

Lawmakers, members of civil society also back bills seeking increase in NA, PA seats

To pursue the matter, they had moved three Constitution amendments bills in the Senate recently and the Senate chairman had referred the matter to the Standing Committee on Law and Justice to seek views of Balochistan Assembly lawmakers and members of civil society on it.

Talking to newsmen after the meeting, the chairman of the standing committee, Senator Muhammad Javed Abbasi, said that Balochistan lawmakers and civil society representatives had fully backed the three proposed Constitution amendment bills.

The Balochistan Assembly lawmakers who attended the standing committee meeting include Ms Shaheenia Kakar, Ms Shakilla Naved Dahwar, Ms Zeenat Shahwani, Mah Jabeen Shereen, Ms Bano Khalil, Mir Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali, Syed Fazal Agha, Nasarullah Zerey, Denesh Kumar, Nawabzada Gorham Bugti, Asghar Khan Achakzai, Qadir Nayal, Sardar Babar Khan Musakhel, Naseer Ahmed Shahwani, Mir Akhtar Hussain Langove.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2019