Resolution adopted to end discrimination against ‘non-locals’

QUETTA: Balochistan Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution to rem­ove discrimination bet­ween locals and non-locals who had been residing in the province for decades.

The resolution was presented by an opposition member who demanded that the provincial government issue certificates to non-locals under the official notification issued in August 1974.

Mir Akhtar Hussain Lan­gove, a member of the opp­osition Balochistan Natio­nal Party (BNP-Mengal), tabled the resolution in the session presided over by acting speaker Sardar Babar Khan Musakhail.

Speaking on the resolution, Mr Langove said people of different nationalities, including Baloch, Pakhtun, Hazara, Sindhi, Saraiki, Urdu-speaking, and Hindko-speaking have been living in Balochistan for centuries. Still, they are called “abaadkar” (settlers) while their forefathers were buried here and they have close relations with local tribes, he added.

“Calling these people non-locals is against Islamic and tribal customs and values,” he said.

Mr Langove said the provincial services and general administration depar­t­ment issued a notification on August 26, 1974, formally published in the Bal­o­chistan Gazette on Sep 10, 1974, declaring all non-local nationalities local.

But despite the passage of 49 years, no provincial government took practical steps to implement the decision which was a “grave injustice with these nationalities”.

“[These are the] people whose forefathers were buried here and those who were compelled to leave wrote in their will to bury them in Balochis­tan,” Mr Langove added.

The BNP-Mengal lawmaker also raised questions about the process to issue domicile certificates.

“Those who have lived in the province for six months to three years are issued a domicile certificate,” he said.

Mr Langove claimed many people have obtai­n­ed fake domicile certificates from Balochistan to secure jobs in the federal and provincial governm­ents on Balochistan’s quota.

Abdul Qadir Nayal of the Hazara Democratic Party also supported the resolution and said the term non-local should be banned in Balochistan.

This resolution should be unanimously adopted by the house, he said.

Minorities Affairs Parliamentary Secretary Khalil Gorge Bhutto said the Christian community has been living in Balochistan for over 200 years. “Their forefathers are buried here.” He suggested that the resolution should be moved as a bill.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2023

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