Izmarak Khan says Punjab Assembly’s resolution on Kalabagh Dam aimed dividing nation
Quetta
The Awami National Party’s parliamentary leader in Balochistan Assembly and provincial minister, Izmarak Khan, on Friday protested against the Punjab Assembly’s passage of a resolution in favour of the Kalabagh Dam, staging a walk out from the House when the chair did not allow him to speak on the subject.
Speaking on a point of order earlier, the ANP leader thanked the prime minister and Balochistan chief minister for releasing funds for salaries of recently inducted teachers in the Balochistan Education Department under the “Aghaaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan” package.
When he began speaking about the Kalabagh Dam, Speaker Aslam Bhootani barred him from doing so, saying he should table a resolution on the matter if he wanted to debate the issue in the House.
Khan protested, saying he had a right to speak about issues concerning the people, and walked out.
Khan had said in the House that the country was passing through a critical stage and raising the controversial Kalabagh Dam issue was in fact aimed at pushing the country into further chaos.
He was later taken back into the House on the instruction of the chair.
Talking to reporters after the assembly session, the ANP leader said his party had clear policy on the controversial dam.
Khan said the country was facing serious issues like drone attacks and devastating floods, but once province was bent upon raising a controversial issue to divide the nation.
He said the prevailing situation in the country had worsened through such steps.
Later PPP’s leader and former provincial Minister Mir Ali Madad Jattak also staged a walkout from the House.
Jattak had asked the chair on a point of order about his privilege motion he submitted on Thursday regarding his humiliation at the hands of police and levies force.
The speaker said the motion was not the assembly’s agenda as he had not received it yet.
