Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani speaking in a provincial assembly’s session.
QUETTA: Except some PPP ministers, all members of the Balochistan Assembly representing the parties in the Balochistan coalition government walked out of a session on Friday in protest against 20 per cent cut in development funds for the province. The protesting lawmakers claimed that senior provincial minister Maulana Wasay and finance minister Mir Asim Kurd also walked out of a meeting of Annual Programme Coordination Committee in Islamabad on Friday to express resentment over the policy of the federal government of curtailing funds for the province.
Speaker Aslam Bhootani chaired the assembly session.
Ministers Naseem Rehman Khetran, Syed Ehsan Shah, Ainuddin Shams and Habibur Rehman Muhammadhasni on points of order criticised Islamabad bureaucrats who despite assurances by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani succeeded in cutting 20 per cent funds meant for development schemes of Balochistan.
They said that they were assured by the federal government that Balochistan would get Rs29 billion for different development projects but the provincial government had been informed that only Rs7 billion would be provided to Balochistan.
The ministers said that it was a mockery because in the beginning of the financial year they were assured to provide huge funds but at the end of the financial year the federal government was providing meagre funds.
Lauding “courageous stand” of Maulana Wasay and Asim Kurd, the legislators said they were extending support to them and staging a token walkout from the house to protect the rights of Balochistan.
Local Bodies and Revenue Minister Zamarak Khan Piralzai tabled the Balochistan Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2011 that was exempted from Rules 84 of the Business of Procedure 1974.
