QUETTA: Police have registered an FIR against 10 MPAs of opposition parties of the Balochistan Assembly, including the opposition leader Malik Sikander Khan, and scores of political workers on charges of attacking the assembly and treasury benches lawmakers ahead of the assembly’s budget session.

The FIR was registered on a written complaint of the government under 17 sections of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Bijli Road police station.

The opposition parties also lodged their complaint with the same police station the other day and said that an FIR should be registered against the chief minister and SP operations.

No FIR was registered so far on the complaint of the opposition parties.

Liaquat Shahwani, a spokesman for the provincial government, said that the opposition leaders and MPAs created commotion outside the assembly building and locked down its all gates.

“They bulldozed the political history and values of Balochistan,” he said.

Mr Shahwani said that on Friday, ahead of presentation of the annual budget in the assembly, the opposition leaders blocked the gates of the assembly building and stopped government MPAs, the chief minister and ministers from entering the assembly premises. The opposition move, he said, delayed the start of the assembly session.

He said the Quetta deputy commissioner requested the opposition lawmakers to call off their protest and allow the government lawmakers to present the budget in the house, but they refused to do so.

The police, he said, had to intervene after the opposition lawmakers hurled stones and bottles at the treasury members in an attempt to stop them from entering the assembly building. Police officials were seen escorting Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani and other ministers to the building after supporters of the opposition parties clashed with the ruling party supporters.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2021