Assembly session: Govt’s apathy irks Balochistan legislators
House passes resolution seeking rational airfare for Quetta.
QUETTA:
Members of the Balochistan Assembly were filled with pent-up rage on Friday over dozens of resolutions that had gone unimplemented in the House.
Lawmakers said the federal government is paying no heed to the province’s important issues. Speaker Aslam Bhootani presided over the session which was delayed by 45 minutes.
The lawmakers, all ministers, criticised the federal government while unanimously supporting a new resolution demanding that the federal government equalise the airfare of the Quetta-Islamabad-Lahore-Karachi route with the Islamabad-Karachi-Lahore route.
The joint resolution was moved by Provincial Minister for Revenue, Engineer Zamruk Khan, Ismail Gujjar of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Raheela Durrani of Pakistan Muslim League- Quaid (PML-Q )and Sheikh Jaffar Mandokhel of PML-Q.
The resolution further said that night coaches’ packages must be introduced in Quetta like elsewhere in the country.
Provincial Agriculture Minister Asad Baloch declared that the assembly had passed 145 resolutions without implementing a single one. “The federal government does not pay any heed to our basic problems but we will continue to raise our issues on the floor of the house,” he said.
He was backed by Finance Minister Mir Asim Kurd, Abdul Rehman Jamali, Zahoor Buleidi and Jaffar Mandokhel who went on to say that the assembly should approach the federal government and inquire about the resolutions adopted by Balochistan Assembly.
“This is injustice to the province because a year ago, Balochistan Assembly approved a similar resolution demanding that private airlines start their services from Quetta,” Mandokhel told the house.
Speaker Bhootani said that the provincial government should approach the federal government about the implementation of resolutions. “The chief secretary of Balochistan, or any other senior official, should hold a meeting with the defence ministry about the implementation of this resolution,” he said in the ruling. The resolution was unanimously passed by the house.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 31st, 2012.
Members of the Balochistan Assembly were filled with pent-up rage on Friday over dozens of resolutions that had gone unimplemented in the House.
Lawmakers said the federal government is paying no heed to the province’s important issues. Speaker Aslam Bhootani presided over the session which was delayed by 45 minutes.
The lawmakers, all ministers, criticised the federal government while unanimously supporting a new resolution demanding that the federal government equalise the airfare of the Quetta-Islamabad-Lahore-Karachi route with the Islamabad-Karachi-Lahore route.
The joint resolution was moved by Provincial Minister for Revenue, Engineer Zamruk Khan, Ismail Gujjar of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Raheela Durrani of Pakistan Muslim League- Quaid (PML-Q )and Sheikh Jaffar Mandokhel of PML-Q.
The resolution further said that night coaches’ packages must be introduced in Quetta like elsewhere in the country.
Provincial Agriculture Minister Asad Baloch declared that the assembly had passed 145 resolutions without implementing a single one. “The federal government does not pay any heed to our basic problems but we will continue to raise our issues on the floor of the house,” he said.
He was backed by Finance Minister Mir Asim Kurd, Abdul Rehman Jamali, Zahoor Buleidi and Jaffar Mandokhel who went on to say that the assembly should approach the federal government and inquire about the resolutions adopted by Balochistan Assembly.
“This is injustice to the province because a year ago, Balochistan Assembly approved a similar resolution demanding that private airlines start their services from Quetta,” Mandokhel told the house.
Speaker Bhootani said that the provincial government should approach the federal government about the implementation of resolutions. “The chief secretary of Balochistan, or any other senior official, should hold a meeting with the defence ministry about the implementation of this resolution,” he said in the ruling. The resolution was unanimously passed by the house.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 31st, 2012.