QUETTA, May 24: Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani did not attend Thursday’s meeting of the National Economic Council because “promises and announcements by the federal government regarding his province had not been fulfilled”.

According to official sources, Chief Minister Raisani, provincial Senior Minister Maulana Abdul Wasey and Finance Minister Mir Asim Kurd stayed away from the meeting because the centre had not restored subsidy on agricultural tube-wells in Balochistan despite a promise by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

The chief minister complained that the provincial government had not been consulted by the Planning Commission while selecting development projects for the federal Public Sector Development Programme.

The sources said that funds had not been released in accordance with allocations for projects in Balochistan over the past two years. They quoted the chief minister as demanding that at least 10 per cent of the PSDP funds should be spent in Balochistan.

The sources said all coalition partners of the Balochistan government had endorsed its decision to boycott the meeting.

Police officer’s body found: The body of a kidnapped police officer was found in an area near Kharan town.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Muhammad Ayub, in-charge of Kharan police station, was kidnapped by unknown people at gunpoint on Sunday.

Levies officials said the people of Chuko area in the outskirts of Kharan town had informed them on Tuesday night about the presence of a body which was later identified as that of Muhammad Ayub.

The officials quoted hospital sources as saying that the body bore several wounds. The body the police officer was handed over to his relatives who took it to his native village in Zehri area of Khuzdar.

The banned Baloch Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the killing of the police officer. Basham Baloch, spokesman for the organisation, told reporters from an unidentified place that Ayub was involved in helping security agencies kidnap Baloch youths.

Meanwhile, two more bodies of unknown people were found in Dasht area of Mastung district and Killi Sardu in the outskirts of Quetta.

Police shifted the bodies to Bolan Medical College Hospital. One of them was shot in the head and chest and the other was strangulated, police said.