News
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Balochistan issue dominates Senate, NA proceedings* Govt assures lawmakers of in-house briefing on Balochistan
* Malik says conspirators want to detach province from Pakistan
By Tanveer Ahmed and Ijaz Kakakhel
ISLAMABAD: The Balochistan situation dominated the National Assembly and the Senate on Friday as the lawmakers from the province felt uneasy over the situation in their province amid assurance from the government that they would be given an in-house briefing next week.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Humayun Aziz Kurd continued to draw the attention of the House towards the worsening law and order situation in the province. However, it was, otherwise usually silent spectator, Yaqoob Bazenjo, who in an emotional tone urged Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to stand and speak on the issue.
Though the prime minister did not respond to Bazenjo’s appeal, he asked Interior Minister Rehman Malik to respond while leaving the session after a brief stint in the House.
Malik, on the ruling of Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, who was chairing the session, pledged to give the members a detailed in-house briefing over the Balochistan situation.
He also clarified a statement when he stated that in order to talk with Baloch militants, some of them should publicly surrender their weapons, and by sticking to his stance, he believed it was meant to send a positive message.
Earlier, Yaqoob Bazenjo said that Balochistan was burning as the killing of Balochs, Sindhis, Punjabis and Pakhtuns have been continuing unabated in the province, and deplored that the government was not taking the matter seriously.
“Every child of the province is looking towards the prime minister for justice,” Bazenjo said, urging the prime minister and interior minister to give a solution to the insecure conditions in the province.
He regretted that political parties unite over constitutional amendments, but there was no unity among them on the issue of Balochistan.
Humayun Aziz Kurd said that he had been continuously saying for the last four years that US was working on a plan to axe Balochistan from Pakistan, and pointed out that the US Congressional hearing on Balochistan was a testimony to that fact. “An international game is being played in Balochistan,” Kurd noted.
Kurd felt that the country might face a big disaster if the role of the FC and secrete agencies in Balochistan’s affairs did not end.
Awami National Party’s Bushra Gohar expressed concern over the US Congress’ hearing on Balochistan and felt that this should have been done by the Pakistan’s parliamentary committee.
She sought a timeframe for presentation of the report of the Parliamentary Committee on Balochistan headed by Syed Khursheed Shah that was formed in August last year.
Rehman Malik also told the Upper House on Friday that several countries were involved in illegal activities in Balochistan want to detach it from Pakistan.
The militants were using foreign-made heavy weapons, expensive vehicles, he said, questioning as to where had they come from inside the country.
“There is a need to expose such faces before the nation. The bullets used in killing of two Baloch women in Karachi, was foreign-made and is banned in the country, which clearly indicates involvement of foreign hands in Balochistan,” he said.
Malik expressed these views during question-hour in the Senate when legislators from Balochistan questioned him over FC’s role in the province.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk