QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly unanimously adopted on Thursday the Quetta Defence Housing Authority Bill.

The bill was tabled by Minister for Urban Development Sardar Mustafa Tareen on the first day of the autumn session of the assembly. Acting Speaker Mir Abdul Quddoos Bizenjo presided over the session.

The provincial cabinet had approved the draft bill in its last meeting.

Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Provincial Assembly, Zamrak Khan Piralizai, said the establishment of the Defence Housing Authority would help in providing better housing facilities to the people of Quetta.

Earlier, Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch assured the house that 3,000 posts in the Federal Levies Force would be distributed as per the verdict of the Balochistan High Court among 16 districts of the province located along the borders with Afghanistan and Iran.

He said the federal government had fixed quota of different districts without consulting the provincial government.

But he asked the legislators not to make it a controversial issue and said the Balochistan Assembly might enact a law to adopt another formula for the distribution of the posts.

Speaking on a point of order earlier, Syed Liaquat Agha had pointed out anomalies in the distribution of the posts. He had said that according to the court’s order his district (Pishin) should have been allotted 187 posts but it had been offered fewer posts.

On the other hand, Mir Abdul Karim Nosherwani and Mir Asim Kurd demanded distribution of the posts among all 32 districts of Balochistan.

Home Minister Sarfarz Ahmed Bugti said that he would take up the issue with authorities concerned in Islamabad and furnish a report during the next session of the assembly.

Later, the acting speaker adjourned the session till Saturday.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2015

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