QUETTA: Senior Minister Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi informed the Balochistan Assembly on Thursday that an in-camera session would be held on Monday to discuss the law and order situation in the province.

Mr Buledi emphasised that the law-and-order situation was not only dire but also complicated due to the involvement of “external elements”.

He highlighted incidents in areas such as Turbat, Kalat, and Zehri, which were of an extraordinary nature and said law enforcement agencies were actively working on resolving them.

Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, a member of the National Party, addressed the issue, saying: “We are aware of these incidents, but the government should announce its future course of action.”

He pointed out that people in Panjgur and Turbat are unable to travel on roads, as they remain closed two days a week due to the ongoing issue of missing persons.

JUI-F lawmakers walk out over unilateral transfers, postings

“The government should tell us how this issue will be resolved, as people are suffering because of it,” Mr Baloch said.

Earlier, when the provincial assembly session began, opposition lawmakers from JUI-F staged a walkout in protest against the alleged interference of the government in their constituencies through the posting and transfer of government officials without consulting the local lawmakers.

Opposition leader Mir Younis Aziz Zehri condemned the government’s actions and said that officials were being transferred and posted without taking the assembly members into confidence.

He added that despite attempts to contact the chief minister to discuss the issue, his calls were not returned.

Mr Zehri noted that it had been a year since the formation of the assembly, yet no session had been held to assess the performance of various government departments.

He claimed that corruption was rampant in the education, health and agriculture departments in his constituency and that no government officer, including the deputy commissioner, had been allowed to complete their term in his area.

Following his speech, Mr Zehri, along with other JUI-F members, walked out of the session. Deputy Speaker Ghazala Gola later sent treasury members to bring them back into the house.

Once they returned, Public Accounts Committee Chairman Asghar Tareen, along with Syed Zafar Agha of JUI-F and Asfandyar Kakar of PPP, called for a judicial inquiry into the martyrdom of four Levies personnel and a civilian in the Daraban area while they were traveling to Dera Ismail Khan.

Mr Tareen demanded a thorough investigation to identify those responsible for this tragic incident.

Provincial Minister for Health Bakht Muhammad Kakar informed the house that a fact-finding tribunal had been set up to probe the incident involving the targeted attack on Levies personnel.

He mentioned that a Levies Resaldar had been suspended and that further investigations were underway.

The assembly members also discussed the issues of drug and arms smuggling in Pishin district.

They alleged that former Afghan military personnel were involved in opium cultivation in Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Zhob and other areas, following a ban on opium cultivation in Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2025