Five bills sail through Balochistan PA

Rs20b recovery hailed as quorum row disrupts Assembly proceedings

QUETTA:

The Balochistan Assembly on Thursday approved five amendment bills and the Public Ac-counts Committee (PAC) report highlighting a record recovery of Rs20 billion in government irregulari-ties, even as proceedings were disrupted by a quorum shortage and heated debate over the future of the provincial assembly building.

The session, which started over an hour late under Speaker Captain (retd) Abdul Khaliq Achakzai, began with Chairman PAC Asghar Khan Tareen presenting the audit report for financial year 2021-22 and audit year 2022-23. The house unanimously approved it.

Tareen informed members that 252 audit paras for 2022-23 revealed Rs59 billion in irregularities. The PAC recovered Rs20 billion, a historic achievement for the province, with Rs6 billion already deposited in the treasury and the rest being recovered in phases. He noted that Balochistan's PAC is the only paper-less committee in the country and credited full cooperation from Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan, and Opposition Leader Mir Younus Aziz Zehri.

The house then passed five bills on the recommendations of standing committees: the Balochistan Judi-cial Academy (Amendment) Bill by Haji Ali Madad Jatak; the Code of Civil Procedure (Balochistan Amendment) Bill and the Balochistan Probation and Parole Bill by Mir Zia Lango; and the Balochistan Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill by Abdul Majeed Badini.

Opposition members, including Maulana Hidayatur Rehman Baloch of Jamaat-e-Islami, congratulated the PAC. Hidayatur Rehman also raised a call attention notice on Gwadar land allotments, pointing out that influential persons received thousands of acres while long-settled locals still lack ownership rights, causing resentment. Revenue Minister Mir Asim Kurd Gailo asked for specific details of such allotments.

As the session continued, Opposition Leader Mir Younus Aziz Zehri raised a point of order regarding the lack of offices for standing committee chairmen and opposition chambers. He complained that despite repeated requests and even token walkouts, new offices in the under-construction block have not been allotted. "We don't even have space to seat guests," he said, urging the Speaker to clarify the delay or allow alternative arrangements.

Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti responded that the new block has not yet been handed over by the Communication and Works Department. He announced a meeting on Monday involving the Speaker, Opposition Leader, and Communications Minister to resolve the issue and ensure funds are released in this year's PSDP for necessary facilities.

On the broader question of the assembly building, Bugti stated that the current structure, inaugurated by Nawab Akbar Bugti, still has 20-30 years of life according to a feasibility study.