QUETTA: Balochistan Assembly has passed a resolution demanding an increase of 20 seats in its current 65-member legislature after it surfaced that the new delimitation in the province was flawed, on Saturday.
The session, presided by Speaker Raheela Khan Durrani, was held at the Balochistan Assembly here. The resolution stated that the Balochistan Assembly was authorised by the Article 144 of the constitution, that under Article 51 and 106, the assembly can increase the number of the National Assembly seats for Balochistan to 24, five reserved seats for women.
Additionally, the number of the provincial assembly’s general seats can be increased to 20, reserved seats for women to four and one additional seat for minorities. Speaking on the relevance of the resolution, opposition leader Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal said that the number Balochistan MNA’s in the National Assembly was equal to salt in the flour.
In this regard, the speaker constituted a committee for approaching all elected senators and MNAs to ensure implementation of its resolution. “Balochistan election commissioner should remove apprehensions of public representatives regarding new delimitations,” she said. It was also decided that the provincial election commissioner would be summoned to brief the legislators on the delimitation process carried out in Balochistan.
The resolution was jointly moved by provincial ministers and opposition members in the assembly. National Party member Mir Rehmat Saleh Baloch while presenting adjournment motion said that every vehicle in Panjgur was charged Rs 200 tax which was illegal, deputy director of Agriculture and deputy commissioner were also involved in this course of bribery.
Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti requested Rehmat Saleh Baloch to withdraw this adjournment motion and said that he assures this matter would be investigated, no one would be allowed to receive illegal taxes from the masses at security check posts all across the province, on which Rehmat Baloch agreed and withdrawal the motion he presented.
The provincial government has been opined to take concrete steps to start wheat procurement in the month of March, to facilitate landowners. After the resolution was presented, the home minister assured that he would raise this issue again in the next session. He requested Muhammad Khan Lehri to withdraw this motion, on which he agreed and withdrawal his adjourned motion.