Assembly session: MPAs want high-level probe into graft cases

Deputy Opposition Leader endorses ‘people-friendly’ budget.

QUETTA:

Legislators from both sides of the aisle in the Balochistan Assembly demanded on Monday the constitution of a high-level committee to investigate graft charges in development schemes.

Debating on the 2013-14 provincial budget, Deputy Opposition Leader Engineer Zamaruk Khan Achakzai applauded the chief minister for preparing a people-friendly budget and voiced hope that the opposition members would also be taken into consideration. He regretted that development funds had been allocated in the budget, but schemes had not been identified yet.

“We had concerns that these schemes would be given to treasury members and the opposition would be mistreated, adding that he would compete democratically if the government did not work in line with the constitution.

Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) member William Barkat lauded the government for coming up with a balanced budget in a short period of time.

“Giving education top priority is a historic step as upgrading 300 primary, middle and high schools each could bring a revolution in the education sector of the province,” he remarked, adding that if scholarships of Rs 5 billion had been given to deserving students, illiteracy would have substantially reduced in the province.



Barkat emphasised on the presence of teachers and doctors in schools and hospitals, and called for due rights of minorities with respect to quotas for certain posts.

PkMAP’s provincial assembly member Spozhmai said that those who were criticising the budget should at least tell the people what they had done in the last decade.

“If the Balochistan budget had been spent properly by previous governments, there would have been revolutionary developments in the province,” she added.

National Party (NP) leader Khalid Langove said that the budget was in accordance with the aspirations of the people as the province had been facing a hard time since the last 65 years.

“Nawaz Sharif showed magnanimity by giving power to nationalists in Balochistan, thus there is a little ray of hope that the issues can be resolved,” he remarked.

Langove said that it was General Pervez Musharraf who had plunged Balochistan and the country into difficulties, adding that issues like the missing persons case and sectarianism could be addressed.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2013.