• Khetran condemns wrapping of Dr Lehri’s body in banned outfit’s flag
• Opposition seeks implementation of madressah bill commitments under 26th Amendment

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti assured the provincial assembly that the opposition would be taken into confidence and briefed on matters relating to mines and minerals and the forest department.

He said a meeting would be convened next week to discuss these issues.

Speaking on a point of order, provincial minister and MPA Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran expressed dismay over the wrapping of the body of Dr Hakim Lehri in the flag of a banned organisation following his death.

Mr Khetran described Dr Lehri as an intellectual and an institution in his own right. He said he was surprised that the deceased’s body had been wrapped in the flag of a proscribed militant organisation.

He said terrorists were enemies of the Baloch people and that the destruction of bridges through bomb attacks ultimately harmed the people of the province.

Mr Khetran said he had always learned from Dr Lehri but would neither attend his funeral nor visit his family to offer condolences and recite Fateha because the deceased’s body had been wrapped in the banned organisation’s flag.

He also praised the services of Balochistan’s former corps commander and expressed hope that the newly appointed corps commander would follow in his predecessor’s footsteps.

Madressah bill

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Younus Aziz Zehri and Public Accounts Committee Chairman Asghar Ali Tareen raised the issue of the madressah bill in the House.

They said a commitment had been made to them under the 26th Constitutional Amendment regarding the registration of religious seminaries. They urged the leadership of the PPP and the PML-N to begin implementing that commitment in Balochistan.

They alleged that instead of registering seminaries, the government had sealed them.

PPP parliamentary leader and provincial minister Sadiq Umrani said his party had always taken steps to strengthen democratic institutions, the federation and the military leadership while honouring its commitments.

He asked the opposition parties to provide a draft of their proposed bill, which would be forwarded to the party leadership for guidance and implementation in accordance with its directions.

JUI-F MPA Fazal Qadir Mandokhail expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation and called for an in-camera session to brief lawmakers on the reasons behind the situation and the measures being taken by the relevant institutions.

National Party MPA Dr Abdul Malik Baloch raised the issue of land ownership rights in Gwadar, pointing out that residents of several areas did not possess legal ownership documents for their land. He said a similar situation existed in Quetta’s Mariabad area.

He urged the chief minister to refer the relevant case to the Member Board of Revenue (MBR) so that the concerned department could decide the matter on merit.

Dr Malik also questioned why land belonging to the people of Balochistan was being allocated to the forest department and asked whether rare earth metals were present in those areas.

Responding to the concerns, Chief Minister Bugti said land had been allocated to the forest department for a long time and that a detailed briefing would be provided on the reasons and circumstances surrounding these allocations.

He said the government was digitising land records after 78 years and was ready to provide the opposition with a comprehensive briefing on the matter. He announced that a meeting would be held next week to discuss the issues in detail.

The chief minister assured the opposition that it would be taken into confidence on matters relating to mines and minerals and the forest department, adding that the government would ensure consultation with opposition members on all such issues.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2026