QUETTA – Provincial ministers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) walked out on the Balochistan Assembly (BA) session to protest against the objectionable remarks against PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif by a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s parliamentary leader.
The BA session began here on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Speaker Muhammad Aslam Bhootani. On a point of order, PPP parliamentary leader Mir Sadiq Umrani strongly criticised PML-N minister Sardar Sanaullah Zehri for saying that if the PPP was unable to resolve the country’s problems then midterm elections should be held.
Umrani reacted angrily to the statement with harsh remarks against Sharif instead of Zehri. Although the speaker expunged the remarks of PPP ministers against Sharif, the PML-N ministers walked out on the proceedings to protest the remarks. Another PPP member Ali Madad Jattak demanded the chief minister remove both PML-N ministers from the Balochistan cabinet in response to PML-N’s expulsion of PPP ministers from the Punjab cabinet.
The PML-N ministers Sardar Sanaullah Zehri and Captain (r) Abdul Khaliq Achakzai said no parliamentary party, including the PPP and PML-N, had a majority in the BA so all coalition partners had elected Nawab Aslam Raisani as leader of the house not because of the PPP, but because of his tribal status.
PML-N ministers said that they had full confidence in the leadership of Nawab Aslam Raisani and if they were sacked from the provincial government they would have no objections. However, they said, Ali Madad Jattak had no right to sack them. Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Riasani eventually persuaded the protesting PML-N ministers to return to the house.
On another point of order, BA members strongly criticised the National Highways Authority (NHA) for not releasing the required funds for the national highway projects in Balochistan.
