QUETTA: In a province battling as many problems as Balochistan, the apathy of its lawmakers is appalling.
On Monday, only two of 65 members turned up at the Balochistan Assembly for a scheduled meeting, compelling Deputy Speaker Matiullah Agha to adjourn the session without any proceedings.
The members present were Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s Abdul Samad Akhwandzada and Jaffar Mandokhel. Except for three absentee ministers, all other lawmakers are part of the Balochistan government and members of the treasury benches in the assembly. Speaker Aslam Bhootani is in his hometown in Lasbela District.
Soon after the assembly convened, Akhwandzada drew the attention of the house towards the lack of quorum. “It is regrettable that in a house of 65 members, barely two are present,” a frustrated Agha said.
“I ask the assembly’s secretary to take up the issue with Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani and inform him about this lack of interest.” He then adjourned the session to December 28.
Another indication of lawmakers’ lack of interest in assembly proceedings is that during the ongoing session, the question and answer session has been adjourned twice due to the absence of either the relevant provincial minister or the lawmaker who has tabled the questions.
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@Fahad Siddiqui - agreed, situation is so bad that even the commentators are not proofreading their commentary!
It is my understanding that the Baluch assembly is elected by the people .
If assembly members cannot even bother to show up for scheduled meetings, obviously the progress of the assembly will be close to zero.
It appears that on multiple levels, elected officials are not doing the job that they were elected to do.
This apathy is an affront to the citizens, and demands an explanation. An attendance report, along with a summary of activities and accomplishments by the assembly, should be regularly published so that citizens are kept aware of what their elected leaders are (or are not) doing.
The case of Balochistan is so neglected that even the article is poorly written and proof-read. Even so more, nobody tries to correct it either.