QUETTA, May 19: The Balochistan Assembly by a majority vote strongly condemned the May 12 Karachi carnage and held the Sindh government and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement responsible for it and condoled the death of activists of opposition parties in the violence.

The two identical resolutions moved by members of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and Samina Saeed of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal were merged into one by Deputy Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani, who was presiding over the session after the question hours.

Chief Minister Jam Mohammad Yousuf went to his chambers during the tabling of condolence resolutions but the PML members raised hands when the chair asked for approval of the resolution that criticised the federal and Sindh governments and the MQM for the barbaric act in Karachi.

Speaking on the occasion, movers of the resolutions, Sardar Azam Musakhel and Samina Saeed, termed the MQM a fascist organisation and said it was given a free hand by the government to carry out bloodshed in Karachi.

They said about 42 precious lives were lost in the brutal acts of the MQM. Besides, the armed men of the fascist organisation also attacked the private TV channel Aaj and burnt private vehicles.

Senior Minister Maulana Wasay said that Pakistan’s came into being in the name of Islam but vested interests had established racist and nationalist groups in the name of politics and created hurdles in the way for implementing Islamic laws, adding the bloody incident of May 12 was the result of negative politics.

Rahila Durrani (PML) said no one could rejoice over the killing in Karachi and added that all those responsible for the Karachi tragedy should be punished.

Leader of the Opposition Kachkol Ali asked Maulana Wasay that if the foundation of Pakistan was based on Islam than why his party that adhered to the Deoband school of thought had opposed the Pakistan movement.

He claimed that conflict in Karachi and Balochistan was over the occupation of lands of the natives by the outsiders and maintained that President Gen Pervez Musharraf justifying the MQM’s anti-people action and acknowledged on the Aaj TV that he belonged to the Urdu-speaking community that have displaced Sindhis from Karachi. Mir Abdur Rehman Jamali, minister for parliamentary affairs, said that under assembly rules no debate could be held on condolence resolution. He, however, emphasised: “We should adhere to the principles of the father of the nation that believed in legal battle instead politics of agitation”.

Basant Lal of PML said that a commission was probing the Karachi incident and “we should wait till the submission of the report”.

The adjournment motion of Mr Kachkol pertained to the construction of Sonmiani seaport in Lasbela district and allotment of half million acres of land at minimum price was deferred by the chair on the suggestion of the parliamentary minister till May 22 as the Balochistan revenue minister was not present in the house.

The chair could not take up the adjournment motion of Sardar Musakhel as a treasury bench member pointed out the lack of quorum.