QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the killing of Waleed Saleh Baloch, the brother of National Party leader and MPA Mir Rahmat Saleh Baloch.
Speaker retired Captain Abdul Khaliq Achakzai, who presided over the session, announced that an in-camera session on the province’s worsening law and order situation would be held soon, with the date to be confirmed within a day or two.
At Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti’s request, the speaker adjourned the House after members adopted the joint resolution.
Moving the resolution, National Party President Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch expressed deep sorrow over the incident and demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible. He said unidentified assailants murdered Waleed Baloch during a wedding ceremony in Panjgur, adding that law and order had deteriorated to the extent that people no longer felt safe traveling on highways.
CM on Balochistan Assembly adopts resolution
Chief Minister Bugti called for a special in-camera briefing on the province’s security situation. “The killing of Waleed Baloch is deeply tragic. Terrorism, by whatever name it occurs, remains terrorism and must be condemned,” he said.
Mr. Bugti said the adjournment of proceedings represented collective grief and sent a strong message to terrorists that they could not derail the democratic process. “We will not retreat even an inch from democracy,” he asserted.
He added that despite previous terrorist attacks on educational institutions, schools and universities were now functioning again. “The Baloch are being dragged into an unwinnable conflict through terrorism, but we stand firmly with our security forces in this war,” he declared.
Leader of the Opposition Mir Younas Aziz Zehri said terrorists had martyred Waleed Baloch and plunged the entire province into mourning. “If they think such actions can deter us from our mission, they are mistaken. We may live or die, but this province and country will endure,” he vowed.
In-camera briefing opposed
MPA Maulana Hidayatur Rehman Baloch criticised the assembly for repeatedly issuing condemnations without taking concrete action, saying it had “become a place for condolences.” He accused armed groups of openly extorting money in his constituency while security personnel focused on trivial issues instead of fighting terrorism.
He rejected the idea of another in-camera briefing, urging the assembly to “discuss the issue openly instead of holding a speech contest under the guise of an in-camera session.”
Earlier, authorities buried Waleed Saleh Baloch on Sunday at his ancestral graveyard in Panjgur. Unidentified gunmen had shot him near his residence in Chitkan, a locality on the outskirts of Panjgur city.
A large number of people—including political leaders Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch, Senator Jan Buledi, MNA Pullain Baloch, Deputy Commissioner Abdul Kabir Zarkoon, District Police Officer Dost Muhammad Bugti, senior National Party members, tribal elders, and citizens—attended his funeral.
Behram Baloch in Gwadar contributed to this report.
Chief Minister, a day earlier, visited the residence of the Mir Rahmat Saleh Baloch to offer condolences over the brutal killing of his brother, Waleed Saleh Baloch, and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
