Assembly session: Balochistan MPAs pay tribute to Bilour

Calls his death an irreparable loss for the country.

QUETTA:

Members of the Balochistan Assembly paid homage to the martyrdom of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Senior Minister and Awami National Party (ANP) leader Bashir Bilour, calling it an irreparable loss for the country.

Balochistan Assembly resumed its session after a two-day gap with Deputy Speaker Matiullah Agha in the chair in lieu of Speaker Aslam Bhootani.

Irrigation Minister Sardar Aslam Bizenjo, talking on a point of order, said that the murder of Bilour was a huge loss for the country.  ANP parliamentary leader Engineer Zamarak Khan, Jamiat Ulema-Islam (JUI)’s parliamentary leader Maulana Abdul Wassey, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) deputy parliamentary leader Mir Abdul Rehman Mengal and MPA Sheikh Jafar Mandokhail all paid tribute to Bilour.

During the session, they offered Fateha for the ANP leader and others who were martyred in Saturday’s Peshawar suicide attack.

In addition, Balochistan Agriculture Minister Mir Asadullah Baloch presented the Balochistan Environment Protection Bill 2012, in the absence of the minister for environment.  Engineer Zamarak Khan presented the Code of Civil Procedure (Balochistan Amendment) Bill 2012 on behalf of the minister for law and parliamentary affairs. The bills were passed by the house.

Meanwhile, Mandokhail claimed that the deputy speaker was unaware of the rules and regulations of the assembly, complaining that he had wanted some clarifications on the bills passed but was not allowed to do so by Agha. He said if any member wants to share his views, he should be given a chance to talk. He said this while talking to reporters after the assembly session.

Mandokhail added that he had convened a meeting of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) to discuss the issue of the no-trust motion tabled against the Balochistan Assembly speaker.

The session was adjourned till December 26.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2012.