QUETTA: Opposition and treasury members of the Balochistan Assembly on Saturday strongly condemned a recent brazen attack by armed militants in Surab that killed an additional deputy commissioner (revenue), expressing serious concern and grief, and calling for strict action against those responsible.

The Surab incident was raised by Senior Minister for Planning and Development, Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, soon after the assembly session began, with Deputy Speaker Ghazala Gola presiding.

Mr Buledi described the attack on government officials, the burning of police and levies stations, and the killing of the additional deputy commissioner as a “barbarian act” that “could not be tolerated”.

“It is an attack on the writ of the state which would not be allowed to anyone,” Mr Buledi said. “No religion and society allow to kill a competent and relented administrative officer.”

JUI-F announces post-Eid sit-in to protest continued Mashkel border closure

He added that the slain official, Hidayatullah Buledi, “belonged to a middle-class family who with hard working obtained education and joined an administrative job.”

Rehmat Baloch of the National Party also condemned the attack, saying, “The entire province is feeling the pain on the martyrdom of the senior officer.”

Opposition Leader Mir Younas Aziz Zehri and other members demanded “strict action against the elements involved in such attacks”.

In other proceedings, JUI-F member Mir Zabid Ali Reki announced a sit-in outside Quetta’s Red Zone after Eid to protest the continued closure of the border at Mashkel.

“If the government cannot provide jobs, it should at least open the border to allow trade,” Mr Reki said, criticising government inaction. He vowed not to end the sit-in “until their demands are met”.

The announcement occurred during Saturday’s session, which commenced 30 minutes late. The session was also marked by protests from opposition lawmakers, who criticised the government’s alleged lack of response to their questions and accused ministers and department secretaries of ignoring their communications.

Opposition Leader Zehri warned that opposition members would “stop submitting questions” if bureaucrats continued not responding to official queries. Deputy Speaker Gola responded, assuring that secretaries are “duty-bound to provide timely answers”.

Haq Do Tehreek MPA Maulana Hidayatur Rehman, speaking on a point of order, referred to a previous statement by the chief minister about not yielding to blackmail. “Let him not be blackmailed,” Maulana Rehman said, “but the opposition is also not beholden to anyone. We know exactly who is influencing whom — I can even name names.” He called for respectful treatment of opposition members and defended their right to protest.

National Party MPA Mir Rehmat Saleh Baloch spoke emotionally about the Surab incident and also voiced grievances regarding official treatment, adding, “Even when we are invited to official events, we are not given basic respect — not even a glass of water.”

During the session, Provincial Health Minister Bakht Kakar presented four draft bills: the Balochistan Health Institutions Reforms Act 2025, Balochistan Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Act 2025, Institute of Child Health Services Act 2025, and Balochistan Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response Act 2025.

These bills were referred to relevant committees.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2025