Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. - File Photo

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has rejected the All Parties Conference called by the government to resolve the Balochistan issue.

“Balochistan has now become a very serious issue and meaningful efforts including deliberations are immediately required to overcome the turmoil. Calling APC or passing resolutions in assemblies against the US congressional bill on Balochistan will be an exercise in futility,” the chief minister said at the 35th session of the Punjab Assembly here on Thursday.

Though the leader of the house (Shahbaz Sharif) came to his chamber in morning hours, he didn’t attend the assembly session till 2:45pm. The opposition members voiced their concern, demanding presence of the chief minister to answer their queries on various issues especially law and order. They even boycotted the session for a while.

The chief minister in an emotional speech (in the absence of the opposition) recommended constitution of a committee headed by Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan on Balochistan issue, and said a resolution would also be tabled in the assembly soon.

“It is high time serious steps were taken to avoid East Pakistan-like tragedy,” he stressed.

The Baloch, he said, had been subjected to tyranny. “We have faced assaults committed by military rulers in Balochistan right from Ayub Khan to Musharraf’s regimes. Such assaults were also seen at a time when the PPP led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto came into power,” he said, also blaming Musharraf for killing Nawab Akbar Bugti.

Shahbaz, who came to the assembly session after eight months, said the government was issuing useless statements instead of taking any concrete step. He said Punjab was the only province that had given Rs11 billion to Balochistan in the seventh
National Finance Commission award.

He said Baloch leader Sardar Ataullah Mengal had told him at a meeting that annoyed Baloch leaders and people had declined to follow his instructions. “The thinking that the result of Balochistan will not be like Bangladesh in the present situation is a misconception,” Shahbaz quoted Mengal as having said.

He said if a western country like Germany could be reunited, why Pakistan couldn’t resolve the Baloch people’s problems.

On a PML-Q MPA demand to give admission to Baloch students in Punjab’s educational institutions, he said he had already done a lot in this regard. “The Baloch students have already been given admissions in Punjab and are studying even at Daanish schools.”

CALL ATTENTION: Earlier, opposition members Sajida Mir and some others asked the speaker to summon him (CM) in the house to reply their queries.

“I will not read my call attention notice regarding a Rs1.4 million robbery detail until the CM comes to reply,” Ms Mir said.

A PPP legislator said rule 62 of the Punjab Assembly’s Rules of Procedures 1997 stated that the CM or the minister of the department concerned should respond to call attention notices. “But I don’t know why the CM or his ministers avoid responding to our questions.”

The speaker said a notification regarding law minister Rana Sanaullah’s additional charge as home minister had already been issued and the assembly secretariat would receive it soon. After this, Mr Sanaullah would be able to respond to such notices, he added.

QUESTION-HOUR: Agriculture and Livestock Minister Ahmad Ali Aulakh on a query said a seven-acre rest house was being used by the Pakistan Army in Bahawalpur.

MPA Dr Samia Amjad demanded that the minister should give timeframe to the house for retrieving the rest house. The minister replied that he would make efforts in this regard but avoided giving any timeframe.

MPA Muhammad Shafique Khan questioned shortage of water that was causing huge loss to the standing crops due to closure of canals for the last six months. Mr Aulakh said water would be made available for crops at the earliest.

BILLS: Rana Sanaullah tabled three amended bills in assembly for having debate. The bills are: The Punjab Katchi Abadis (Amendment) Bill 2012, The Punjab Animals Slaughter Control (Amendment) Bill 2012 and the Punjab Court of Wards (Amendment) Bill 2012.