Balochistan Assembly passes two key bills

The Balochistan Assembly on Wednesday approved the Balochistan Water Resources Management Bill and the Balochistan Cadet Colleges (Amendment) Bill while disposing of a calling attention notice regarding the deteriorating law and order situation in Qila Abdullah district.

The House also referred two audit reports received from the Auditor General of Pakistan to the Public Accounts Committee.

The session began 25 minutes late under the chairmanship of Speaker Captain (retd) Abdul Khaliq Achakzai.

Awami National Party parliamentary leader Engineer Zmarak Khan Achakzai drew the attention of the provincial home minister to the worsening security situation in Qila Abdullah. He said the government must provide details of the steps taken so far to address the daily incidents of violence in the district.

Speaking on the notice, Achakzai stressed that it was the responsibility of the state and the government to resolve the people's basic problems. He recalled that opium cultivation once flourished in Qila Abdullah; due to the absence of serious action, the crop had now spread to other parts of the province. Three police officer posts and 200 constable posts remained vacant in the district, he noted, adding that the rigorous recruitment process for the police should have been matched by equally strict measures against narcotics.

Achakzai said the people of Qila Abdullah wanted peace and that restoring order there could bring stability to the entire Pashtun belt. He urged the government to rebuild public trust and take action without discrimination against anyone who took the law into their own hands.

Provincial Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove informed the House that concrete steps had already been taken. Two new police stations had been established in the district and the strength of police personnel increased.