QUETTA, April 14: The Balochistan Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution urging the federal government to retain the Levies force instead of merging it with the police.

The resolution was adopted without any discussion and was backed by the MMA but two ministers belonging to the ruling PML did not support it.

The session was held under Speaker Jamal Shah Kakar.

The joint resolution was fielded by members of the National Party, the PPP Parliamentarians, the Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, the Balochistan National Party (Mengal).

The resolution criticised the federal government’s move and said that while Islamabad was urging the provincial government to reduce non-development expenditure but the merger of the Levies with police would increase the force’s expenditure to Rs5 billion.

The resolution said that the merger had led to a rise in crime ratio in various districts during the past one year, adding that the merger also negated recommendations of the parliamentary committee headed by Mushahid Hussain, which supported the Levies system. The resolution said that the Levies force should be retained and organised on modern lines.—Correspondent