QUETTA, July 13: The federal cabinet at a meeting held here on Wednesday decided to set up a judicial commission headed by a senior judge of the Supreme Court to investigate the murder of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani presided over the meeting which mainly discussed the implementation of Aghaz-i-Haqooq-i-Balochistan package.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said the judicial commission would be formed within a week. “The commission would help the government in finding facts about the killing of Nawab Bugti.”

Nawab Bugti was killed in August 2000 during a gunfight with government troops who had stormed his mountain hideout on the borders of Dera Bugti and Kohlu districts

Ms Awan said the prime minister wanted all facts about the killing of the veteran Baloch leader brought before the nation.

She did not agree with a questioner that the setting up of a judicial commission was a delaying tactic and said the decision had been taken because of demands of the Bugti family and other people.

She said about 65 per cent points of the Aghaz-i-Haqooq-i-Balochistan package had been implemented and work on the remaining 35 per cent was in progress.

She said the cabinet had decided to lift a ban on recruitment in Balochistan and the prime minister had directed that a process should be launched immediately to fill vacancies in the federal government on the quota of the province.The Establishment Division pointed out that there are around 6,700 vacant posts of grades 1 to 20 in various federal government departments for Balochistan.

She said the devolution of several federal government departments to the province would also help create more jobs for the youth of Balochistan.

She said the prime minister had ordered that a selection board should hold tests and walk-in interviews in Quetta for the recruitment process within a day after publication of an advertisement in newspapers.

She said the prime minister had also directed that the criteria in respect of age and educational qualification be relaxed for the youth of Balochistan.

The minister said the government was taking measures for protection of life and property of people of Balochistan.

She said after implementation of the devolution plan it was the responsibility of the provinces to take serious steps to resolve the issues of poverty, unemployment and law and order.

On the issue of provincial autonomy, she said that it was a dream of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto which was fulfilled by Prime Minister Gilani. Under the 18th Amendment, she said, Balochistan would get its share in gas, petroleum and minerals.

Ms Awan said with a simple majority in parliament the PPP-led government had resolved several issues which were not even considered by a government which had a two-thirds majority.