QUETTA: Opposition and treasury benches in the Balochistan Assembly on Friday expre­ssed concern over the disappearance of two university students and asked the authorities to get them recovered immediately.

On the first day of the winter session, presided over by Deputy Speaker Sardar Babar Khan Musakhail, former chief minister Nawab Aslam Raisani took up the issue on a point of order and said earlier people had disappeared from different areas, but now students had started going missing from educational institutions.

“Disappearance of students from Balochistan University is a very serious matter which could not be ignored,” he said.

Both the students have been missing since Nov 1.

Speaking on the issue, provincial minister Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran said he was not satisfied with the vice chancellor’s report regarding abduction of students.

He said the IG police had assured that the students were not in police custody. “It is the responsibility of the state to recover the missing students,” he added.

“The deployment of security forces has been reduced in educational institutions of Balochistan. If there is any allegation against the missing students they should be brought before a court of law,” Mr Khetran said.

Assembly member Akhtar Hussain Langau said no arrest could be made without the permission of the vice chancellor.

Another member Mir Zabid Ali Reki said that during the tenure of former chief minister Jam Kamal, the ministers held tenders in droves. “After the formation of new cabinet, these tenders should be cancelled,” he said.

The assembly unanimously approved two resolutions regarding establishment of a traffic engineering bureau in Quetta and a Passport Office in Washuk. Nasrullah Zairay presented the resolutions.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2021