QUETTA - An FIR has been registered against Balochistan Minister for Communication Mir Ali Madad Jattak, who is also the deputy parliamentary leader of PPP in the provincial assembly, over an alleged armed attack on the residence of an official of the Communication Department.
Chief Engineer Amir Hamza Badini lodged the FIR with the Sariab Police Station against Jattak, accusing him of opening fire at his residence in the Railway Housing Society and threatening him of dire consequences.
When contacted, the area police confirmed the reports of registration of the FIR.
Talking to media persons, Badini said the provincial minister phoned him on Sunday night and asked to award the tender of a construction work to one of his friends without advertising it in newspapers. “Jattak warned me of dire consequence when I refused to do so because it is a sheer violation of rules,” he said, adding that Jattak sent his armed men after some time, who opened fire at his house which lasted for several minutes damaging his vehicle and the boundary walls partially. The official said he had lodged the complaint at Sariab Police station and nominated Jattak in the case. He accused the minister of continuously pressurising him for his personal interests after assuming the charge of the ministry.
“He on and off threatened me to transfer me from Quetta but I categorically told him that the tenders would be awarded to any contractor on merit following the legal procedure,” Badini.
Talking to media, Ali Madad refuted the charges, saying he was in Dera Murad Jamali when the chief engineer’s residence was attacked, adding that he was implicated in a fake case.
To a query, he said he developed quarrel with the official over delaying the project of two flyovers in Sariab and Kohela Pattak. Amir Hamza Badini is the project director of the scheme.
Jattak said he asked him to expedite the work because people were facing difficulties due to massive traffic-jam in Sariab and the adjoining areas.
The minister said he was a Baloch and attacking houses was totally against the Baloch customs.
On the other hand, the Balochistan Engineers’ Association (BEA) demanded Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani to sack Jattak from the office and launch a probe into the matter.
Addressing a news conference, BEA Secretary Ghulam Sarwar others including Ghulam Dastagir, Shabbir Ahmed Baloch and Ali Ahmed Mengal, strongly condemned the incident and demanded a strict action against the minister.
They announced to go on a token-strike against, what they described, a criminal act on the part of Jattak. “The engineers will not perform their duties from 10 to 12 am for three days and go on a complete strike if action is not taken against the provincial minister,” they warned at the news conference.