QUETTA, Nov 13: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has reinstated 59 employees of the Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and Oil and Gas Development Corporation (OGDC) from Balochistan.

Official sources said that the employees include Nawab Jamil Akbar Bugti, son of late Nawab Akbar Bugti, who had been working in the PPL as a senior executive.

Sources said that 57 of the reinstated employees were of the PPL and seven of them are in the officers’ cadre.

An official of the provincial government said that all reinstated employees belonged to Dera Bugti and Sui. They had been sacked in 2005 without giving any reason.

The Balochistan Assembly had adopted a resolution calling for their reinstatement. Balochistan Assembly Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani welcomed the move and termed it a positive step taken by the president and the prime minister.

Mr Bhootani told Dawn that such positive steps would remove misunderstandings between Balochistan and the Centre and help resolve other issues.