Fiery session in Balochistan

Pandemonium on the floor of the Balochistan Assembly over the weekend when members were discussing the province’s budget for 2017-18 is indicative of a set of deep-rooted problems that need to be addressed. Two members in the province’s coalition government exchanged harsh words during the debate with ministers and members belonging to the National Party staging a walkout in protest and the PkMAP members condemning this. There was uproar in the house after the speech of Khalid Langove who said that Rs3,000 million had been allocated only for Qila Abdullah district while, on the other hand, though he had surrendered Rs220m development funds for his constituency allocated for the outgoing year, instead of reallocating the amount he had set aside only Rs4m for it. The member then accused the bureaucracy of the province of playing a part in the uneven distribution of funds in the province.

There needs to be more transparency in Balochistan on how government funds are being spent. The complaint by members of the house that the government officials as well as the chief minister and his cabinet members do not give much details needs to be followed up. If there is a case where funds have been given disproportionally for whatever reason, then a debate in the house is the best way to highlight the issue. The other problem is blaming the bureaucracy for the manner in which allocations have been made. Here again, the assembly members have every right to call the responsible officials and ask for an explanation. In this, the role of the media can also be included where it highlights any irregularities. The bottom line is that legislators should understand the power that is bestowed on them by the Constitution. Instead of bickering, they can address their grievances through the sessions of the house. So far what we have seen is that attendance at assembly sessions is low and that most members do not engage in the proper legislative practices. That is the crux of the problem.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2017.

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