QUETTA, June 15: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Mohammad Yousaf said on Sunday that a committee comprising representatives of the component parties of the coalition government would prepare and table a Shariat bill in the provincial assembly.

Talking to newsmen during an open kutchery at Arman Manzil, the chief minister announced that an operation would be launched in the provincial capital to seize unlicensed weapons.

Asked to comment on a statement of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal leader Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani about tabling of a Shariat bill, he said a committee would be notified by the law department that would consider all aspects before presenting the law in the house.

Replying to a question he said the Shariat should not be opposed by the Muslims and maintained that the committee would study all the pros and cons of the bill before presenting it in the assembly.

He said the federal government had agreed to provide Rs9 billion of the Rs10 billion demanded by Balochistan to present a balanced budget. He expressed the hope that the centre would provide the remaining Rs1 billion to help the provincial government.

He said Balochistan could not get its 5.6 per cent share in the resources due to boycott of the 1998 census in some districts of the province.

He said the province would get 5.1 per cent share in the funds from the centre whereas its share according to the previous census was 5.3 per cent.

It was incorrect that three persons had been nominated in the killing of police trainees on the Sariab road, he said in reply to a question and added that all aspects of the case were being kept in view during the investigation.

Jam Yousaf said he would soon convene a meeting of the Nazims of the city as the councillors were responsible for maintaining law and order in their areas.

He said the provincial government would take action against the Nazims if they failed to pinpoint the antisocial elements.

He said soon an operation would be launched in the city to seize unlicensed weapons after asking the people to deposit such arms.

He said the operation being carried out in the Nasirabad district to apprehend the killers of the deputy inspector-general of police, Sibi, was likely to conclude on Monday.

He expressed the hope that the law enforcement agencies would succeed in arresting the killers and clearing the area of dacoits.