ISLAMABAD, April 19: The opposition members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday submitted an adjournment motion to the National Assembly Secretariat seeking discussion on the law and order situation in Balochistan with particular reference to the recent incidents of sectarian killings.

Through the motion, a copy of which is available to Dawn, the PML-N members have expressed their concern over the “killing of innocent people”, particularly of those belonging to the “Hazara community”.

The motion has been moved by the PML-N members four days after the killing of eight members of the Shia Hazara community and a policeman in three different attacks in Quetta on Saturday.

The Saturday’s killings took their number in Quetta and its vicinity since start of this month to 26. The city remained shut on Sunday on the strike call given by the Hazara Democratic Party.

A PML-N spokesman told the party members had moved the motion on the directive of the top leadership. He said the recent statement of the Balochistan governor criticising the provincial government had exposed the failure of the PPP-led coalition governments, both at the centre and the province. Moreover, he said, the PPP senator Lashkari Raisani, who is the younger brother of the Balochistan chief minister, had also spoken against the attitude of the rulers towards the people of Balochistan.

Expressing concerns over the law and order situation in the province, Balochistan Governor Zulfikar Ali Magsi had last week criticised the provincial government and warned that the army could be called out if the administration failed to protect life and property of masses.

The opposition members have termed the killings of the people in the troubled province of Balochistan a “complete failure of the government in protecting the life and property of the people.”

“This act of killing of innocent people has caused a wave of resentment among the public. It should, therefore, be discussed in the house,” says the motion carrying signatures of 20 PML-N MNAs.