Friday, September 1 2006 16:43 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: In an attempt to blame India for its internal political crisis, Pakistan's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi charged in the National Assembly that the huge quantity of ammunitions and currency recovered from the cave was provided by our neighbouring country to Akbar Bugti via Kabul.

Pakistan has for long been accusing India of fomenting trouble in Balochistan via the embassy in Kabul and consulates in Afghan cities close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

This and a number of observations that the minister said were "personal", incensed the opposition, which boycotted the proceedings after nine separate adjournment motions it had submitted were disallowed Thursday by Speaker Chaudhry Ameer Hussain.

Niazi's justification of Bugti's killing angered the opposition in the National Assembly. "It is a right action if Bugti was killed in an encounter," The Nation quoted Niazi as saying.

The media noted that the chair had followed an 'unprecedented' procedure in allowing the minister to speak and air personal views, although he had not given any notice. The News International said that even when the treasury bench members protested, Niazi said his remarks were 'personal' and did not reflect the Government's view.

Before boycotting the proceedings in the House, the opposition members charged that the Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti had been killed in a military operation wherein the security forces had used chemical weapons. Niazi denied the charge.

"What was most disturbing for the opposition members was the language that he used to justify an unjustifiable violent act by the state against Nawab Bugti. The opposition flew off the handle, protested and then decided to boycott the session for two days, The Nation said.

Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, a former Prime Minister and a Baloch leader, supported the opposition viewpoint and urged the chair to bring back the opposition to the House.

The opposition had submitted nine different adjournment motions, but the chair did not allow them, the paper said.