Balochistan Assembly: Motion against Afghan incursion moved

MPAs say they will donate a month’s pay to earthquake victims.

QUETTA:

The argument whether an adjournment motion against international border incursion can be moved in a provincial assembly led to a heated debate in the Balochistan Assembly on Thursday.

While the house was unanimous in resolve to assist the quake victims and condemn the Peshawar church attack the lawmakers were squabbling over a motion to condemn the killing of five Pakistanis in Zhob district by Afghan forces on September 18.

“Security of borders is the responsibility of the federal government the provincial government has nothing to do with it,” leader of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal said opposing the adjournment motion moved by the Leader of the Opposition Maulana Abdul Wasay of JUI-F.



Wasay shot back: “It was our people who got killed out there.” He demanded compensation for the families of the deceased and taking up the issue with Afghan government.

The members of treasury benches, Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, Liaquat Agha and Manzoor Kakar and opposition members Maulana Abdul Wasay exchanged hot words.

The house moved a joint resolution demanding federal authorities to take urgent steps for the help of earthquake victims. The opposition members also announced they would donate a month’s salary for earthquake relief.

Two other resolutions, moved by PkMAP members W Jan Barkat and Liaquat Agha against the twin suicide attacks outside a church in Peshawar and low gas pressure in Balochistan were also passed.

Earlier, the house offered Fateha for the victims of earthquake, killing of Major General Sanaullah Khan Niazi and others in bomb blast in Upper Dir and observed one minute silence to pay homage to the victims of the church blast.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2013.