Balochistan Assembly: Even my name is not on electoral lists, bemoans minister
Balochistan Zakat and Ushr Bill 2012 tabled in the assembly.
QUETTA:
The flaws in voter lists in different parts of Balochistan echoed in the Provincial Assembly on Saturday as legislators demanded the election commission rectify mistakes.
The session started after a 40 minute delay under the chairmanship of Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani.
Provincial Minister for Water and Sanitation Agency Habibur Rehman Mohammad Hasani took to the floor on a point of order. He drew the attention of the House towards flaws in electoral voter lists that he said Election Commission had failed to rectify. “We raised this issue early that voter lists had flaws as voters of our constituency were enlisted in other constituencies. Some voters lists were displayed again by NADRA at different centres containing the same flaws and did not seem to have been properly verified or rectified,” he said.
“My name is also missing from voter list,” the Minister claimed.
He demanded that government should extend the deadline for verification because with three days left, the Election Commission had so far not displayed the voter lists in remote areas of Kharan district. Additionally time must be allotted to rectify mistakes.
Hasani was not the only one to complain, other Ministers including Mir Mohammad Asim Kurd Gello, Abdul Khaliq Bashar Dost, Basant Lal Gulshan, Nasreen Khetran and Sultan Mohammad Tareen expressed their concerns on computerised voters’ lists.
“The lists contain flaws. Those who are inhabitants of one union council, are registered with another constituency,” they complained.
Provincial Health Minister and leader of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazal Ainullah Shams said that more than 4000 people of his constituency had been wrongfully registered in Dukki.
Senior Minister Maulana Abdul Wasay conceded that there may be flaws in the voter lists of a few areas, but the Balochistan Assembly could not directly demand the Election Commission to extend the deadline. He asked the members to approach the Election Commission over this issue.
Finance Minister Asim Kurd revealed that the process of verification of voter lists was also affected in some areas due to life threats they received from militants.
Speaking on another point of order, minister for minorities Basant Lal Gulshan and Jay Parkash strongly condemned the abduction of Hindu girls in Sindh and their subsequent forced conversion to Islam.
He also condemned the abduction of the Hindu Pharmacist Rajish Kumar, demanding his safe and early release.
The members also offered Fateha for the departed soul of Deputy Commissioner Gwadar Abdul Rehman Dashti who was killed in Karachi a few weeks ago.
Balochistan Zakat and Ushr Bill 2012
Provincial Minister Habibur Rehman Mohammad Hasani tabled the Balochistan Zakat and Ushr Bill 2012 for review in the assembly.
According to the statement of object and reasons for submission of the bill, Hasani said that after the 18th Amendment, the subject of Zakat and Ushr has been devolved to the provinces. Therefore, the function and power being regulated under the Zakat and Ushr Ordinance, 1980 needed to be revised and re-implemented by enacting new law giving full autonomy to the Provincial Government.
The flaws in voter lists in different parts of Balochistan echoed in the Provincial Assembly on Saturday as legislators demanded the election commission rectify mistakes.
The session started after a 40 minute delay under the chairmanship of Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani.
Provincial Minister for Water and Sanitation Agency Habibur Rehman Mohammad Hasani took to the floor on a point of order. He drew the attention of the House towards flaws in electoral voter lists that he said Election Commission had failed to rectify. “We raised this issue early that voter lists had flaws as voters of our constituency were enlisted in other constituencies. Some voters lists were displayed again by NADRA at different centres containing the same flaws and did not seem to have been properly verified or rectified,” he said.
“My name is also missing from voter list,” the Minister claimed.
He demanded that government should extend the deadline for verification because with three days left, the Election Commission had so far not displayed the voter lists in remote areas of Kharan district. Additionally time must be allotted to rectify mistakes.
Hasani was not the only one to complain, other Ministers including Mir Mohammad Asim Kurd Gello, Abdul Khaliq Bashar Dost, Basant Lal Gulshan, Nasreen Khetran and Sultan Mohammad Tareen expressed their concerns on computerised voters’ lists.
“The lists contain flaws. Those who are inhabitants of one union council, are registered with another constituency,” they complained.
Provincial Health Minister and leader of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazal Ainullah Shams said that more than 4000 people of his constituency had been wrongfully registered in Dukki.
Senior Minister Maulana Abdul Wasay conceded that there may be flaws in the voter lists of a few areas, but the Balochistan Assembly could not directly demand the Election Commission to extend the deadline. He asked the members to approach the Election Commission over this issue.
Finance Minister Asim Kurd revealed that the process of verification of voter lists was also affected in some areas due to life threats they received from militants.
Speaking on another point of order, minister for minorities Basant Lal Gulshan and Jay Parkash strongly condemned the abduction of Hindu girls in Sindh and their subsequent forced conversion to Islam.
He also condemned the abduction of the Hindu Pharmacist Rajish Kumar, demanding his safe and early release.
The members also offered Fateha for the departed soul of Deputy Commissioner Gwadar Abdul Rehman Dashti who was killed in Karachi a few weeks ago.
Balochistan Zakat and Ushr Bill 2012
Provincial Minister Habibur Rehman Mohammad Hasani tabled the Balochistan Zakat and Ushr Bill 2012 for review in the assembly.
According to the statement of object and reasons for submission of the bill, Hasani said that after the 18th Amendment, the subject of Zakat and Ushr has been devolved to the provinces. Therefore, the function and power being regulated under the Zakat and Ushr Ordinance, 1980 needed to be revised and re-implemented by enacting new law giving full autonomy to the Provincial Government.