ISLAMABAD, Feb 28: Opposition members in the National Assembly severely criticized the government's handling of the Balochisan situation during a debate on the issue on Monday , with one major party demanding the formation of a new high-powered committee to seek a political solution.

Some critics accused the government of virtually pushing its opponents in the troubled province to the wall, but most of them called for finding a solution through dialogue rather than a military operation.

The second day of the opposition-sought debate coincided with a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by President Pervez Musharraf that also considered the Balochistan situation.

Opposition members staged a token walkout before the start of the debate to protest against Sunday's police raid on what is known as Marri Camp outside Quetta where police said they had recovered a cache of arms meant for terror attacks.

Abdul Rauf Mengal of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) led the walkout after accusing the police of insulting women and arresting 'innocent people' at the Marri Camp.

In a speech later, Mr Mengal called for redressing '57 years of deprivations' of the people of Balochistan who, he said, were facing "an attitude similar to that suffered by Palestinians and Iraqis".

He said the province was facing another military operation even in the 21st century and demanded withdrawal of all federal forces from there and a solution through dialogue, including a settlement of the issue of provincial autonomy that should leave only three subjects of currency, defence and foreign affairs with the centre.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz parliamentary leader Nisar Ali Khan, who opened the discussion, described the Balochistan situation as most difficult demanding 'bold decisions'. He called for the formation of a new bipartisan parliamentary committee headed by a leader from Balochistan and comprising parliamentary group leaders of all parties in the National Assembly.

"Let this committee be headed by (Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party leader Mahmood Khan) Achakzai, or (Jamhoori Watan Party leader Akbar) Bugti or (BNP-M leader Ataullah) Mengal...but it should be an independent committee," he said.

The PML-N leader said the present parliamentary committee headed by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML), had a limited mandate and had not made much headway. "If you trust Baloch and other leaders, some solution will definitely come out," he stressed.

Ms Naheed Khan of the People's Party Parliamentarians and several other members of her party asked the government to allow an honourable return home of former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif from exile to help tackle the present situation.

PPP's Mir Hazar Khan Bijrani proposed a roundtable conference of political leaders on the issue. Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal said preparations were being made for what would be a third military operation in Balochistan but warned the government that consequences of such a course would be 'most dangerous'.

Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Khan Niazi introduced three bills to provide for the establishment of the 'National Institute of Oceanography,' 'the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology,' and the 'Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources'.

The government deferred consideration of the 'Corporate and Industrial Restructuring Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2004' as passed by the Senate during its second reading to allow an early start of the Balochistan debate in the evening sitting.

URDU CONFERENCE: On a call-attention notice by five MMA members, Minister of State for Interior Shahzad Waseem defended the hosting of an international Urdu conference by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad on March 9-13

He said the CDA was hosting the event as part of its annual feature of Margalla Festival but was not providing any funds that would come from other sources. The MMA members had questioned why the capital's municipal authority was hosting the conference organised by a private group rather than a university.