QUETTA, June 15: Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani, the provincial president of MMA, a partner in the ruling coalition, has sent a message to JWP Chief Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in connection with a recent meeting of MMA leaders with President Pervez Musharraf on the situation in Balochistan.

This was disclosed by Senior Minister Maulana Abdul Wasay in the provincial assembly during his speech on a resolution on the NFC award moved by opposition member Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal on Thursday.

Deputy Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani presided over the session.

“Maulana Sherani has initiated contacts with Nawab Bugti regarding his discussions with President Musharraf on the Balochistan issue,” he said. He said that after its recent boycott of the Balochistan Assembly session, the MMA had detailed discussions with the president and exchanged views with him on the ongoing operation and the current situation in Balochistan.

“The MMA leader has informed Nawab Bugti about details of his meeting with the president on the issue,” he said. “We are awaiting a reply from Nawab Bugti.

“Inshallah we will succeeded in improving the situation,” the minister said, adding that the MMA was ready to play a role in promoting reconciliation.

Meanwhile, the assembly admitted an adjournment motion for debate on the issue of military operation and use of helicopter gunships in Dera Bugti and Kohlu districts. The adjournment motion was jointly moved by Mohammad Akbar Mengal, Akhtar Hussain Lango of BNP-M and leader of opposition Kachkol Ali. A majority of opposition members and the ruling PML-MMA coalition supported the motion.

The movers strongly condemned the operation in different areas of Dera Bugti and Kohlu and said that a large number of innocent people, including women and children, were killed and injured. They alleged that helicopter gunships and jets were used to bomb several areas, and houses of civilians were destroyed. The house adopted four resolutions unanimously. In the first resolution moved by opposition member Abdul Rahim, the house demanded that the NFC award should be decided on the basis of area and backwardness of a province and gas development surcharge should not be included in the NFC formula.

The second resolution demanded that the National Highway Authority should be required to follow specifications and build quality roads in the province.

The third resolution moved by Saleem Ahmed Khosa of the JWP demanded that water channels should be lined to protect land from water-logging in Jaffarabad district. Another resolution demanded that the federal government should ensure recruitment of Balochistan’ educated and jobless youths to ease the problem of unemployment.