4 Balochistan ministers threaten to resign

QUETTA: Four provincial ministers and a pro-government member of the Balochistan Assembly (BA) on Saturday staged a walkout against not being allowed to debate the issue of a missing female Baloch schoolteacher . The assembly members (MPAs) also warned of boycotting the ongoing assembly session for an indefinite period.The MPAs who walked out included Irrigation Minister Sardar Aslam Bizenjo, who criticised the House’s lack of interest in the case of Zarina Marri (23). Marri was allegedly taken hostage by security agencies around two years ago.Bizenjo earlier rejected BA Speaker Aslam Bhootani’s request to debate a different matter in the House.“Zarina Marri is a Baloch being kept in the military’s custody and used as a sex-slave. Currently, this is the most burning issue and the BA should first debate on this serous matter,” he demanded.However, the speaker said it would be meaningless to discuss the matter in the absence of Leader of the House Muhammad Aslam Raisani, and Balochistan Home Minister Mir Zafarullah Zehri. Disappointed over the speaker’s ruling, Bizenjo walked out of the assembly in protest, followed by ministers Mir Hamal Kalmati, Mir Zahoor Buledai and Mir Saleem Khosa.Pro-government MPA Mir Zahoor Khosa also joined the group later.The speaker adjourned the session for 15 minutes and asked other House members to ask the protesting MPAs to return.However, the enraged ministers refused to return to the session.Later, the irrigation minister said the BA’s parliamentary resolutions had no significance and passing another resolution for Marri’s release would be in vain.He urged Raisani to urgently raise the issue with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. “Until top level action is taken, we will continue boycotting the assembly session,” he said, adding their protest could result in an eventual quitting from the coalition government.Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Asadullah Baloch, from the Balochistan National Party-Awami, criticised the enraged minister for their ‘double standards’.“It’s unfair to simultaneously enjoy provincial ministries and play the role of the opposition leaders,” he said. Baloch said his party would support any resolution moved in the BA regarding the issue. Resolutions: Also on Saturday, the BA passed two resolutions - demanding the provision of TV boosters in the province’s rural areas and shelter homes for the victims of last year’s earthquake. The house will meet next on February 3.