QUETTA: Former Balochistan chief minister and provincial lawmaker Nawab Aslam Raisani has filed a constitutional petition in the Balochistan High Court challenging the provincial government’s decision to abolish Kalat Division and merge Mastung district into Quetta Division.
The petition names the Government of Balochistan as a respondent.
Speaking to reporters outside the court, Raisani said the government issued the notification without consulting the people of Kalat, Mastung or their elected representatives, calling the move a violation of constitutional rights.
His lawyer, Riaz Ahmed, said the petition had been filed under Pakistan’s 1973 Constitution, which guarantees fundamental rights to citizens.
“The Constitution gives people fundamental rights,” Ahmed said. “The government failed to hear the people of Mastung and Kalat before taking the decision.”
He said elected representatives and local stakeholders should have been consulted before any administrative changes were made.
“The notification was issued without hearing the affected population,” Ahmed added.
Raisani said the government also ignored the views of the historic Sarawan and Jhalawan regions before issuing the notification.
“This is a violation of our fundamental rights,” he said.
He also criticized members of the provincial cabinet, saying they were directly affected by the decision but had remained silent.
Raisani argued that dissolving Quetta Division’s existing administrative structure had undermined Kalat’s historical significance.
“The government cannot ignore tribal stakeholders in matters related to land allocation or land acquisition,” he said.
He said the petition sought relief under the 1973 Constitution and urged the court to review the government’s decision.
Raisani described Balochistan’s challenges as political rather than administrative.
“Balochistan’s problem is political, not administrative,” he said, calling for what he described as a new social contract to improve the province’s situation.
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He also called for the release of leaders of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) and said changing chief ministers alone would not resolve the province’s problems.
“The rulers must change their policies,” Raisani said.
