ISLAMABAD, April 19: The parliamentary committee on Balochistan is unlikely to finalize its report soon with little possibility of it meeting this month. The committee’s chairman, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and its important member Mushahid Hussain, who heads its sub-committee on political and financial issues, are abroad and not expected to return before April 25.

However, according to sources here, the main reason behind the delay in the finalization of the committee’s recommendations is resistance put up by some elements which are against finalization and implementation of measures of substance. A hint to this effect was given by Chaudhry Shujaat himself at a meeting of the parliamentary groups of the ruling coalition.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has more than once expressed the desire to implement the recommendations in parts, but without getting any response from the quarters concerned.

However, the government is implementing an agreement reached between Chaudhry Shujaat and Nawab Akbar Bugti and, as a result, the situation in Balochistan is fast returning to normal. It may be recalled while the sub-committee headed by Mr Mushahid Hussain had finalized its report by Jan 6, the sub-committee headed by Senator Wasim Sajjad submitted its recommendations in the first week of March without reaching a consensus among its members on provincial autonomy and other issues.

Mr Sajjad who is also the leader of the house in Senate told Dawn that reaching a consensus in the sub-committee on sensitive issues like provincial autonomy was difficult and, therefore, he had forwarded to the main committee all the proposals that had come from members belonging to various political parties.

Replying to a question about the possibility of the finalization of the report, he said: “It may be delayed further as the issues it is to tackle are of a highly sensitive nature.”

The parliamentary committee, which held its last meeting on March 21, could not carry out its work when its members from the opposition refused to take part in its deliberations unless Chaudhry Shujaat apprised them of details of his meeting with Nawab Bugti.

Chaudhry Shujaat refused to oblige the members on the ground that he had given a commitment to Nawab Bugti not to disclose anything till the accord was implemented.