Provincial Assembly of Balochistan

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The Provincial Assembly of Balochistan is one of the four provincial assemblies of Pakistan. The Balochistan assembly is the unicameral (single chamber) legislature of the province of Balochistan. It was established under Article 106 of the Constitution of the Pakistan^[1]. The Assembly comprises 51 directly elected members, representing constituencies from each district, as well as 11 seats reserved for women and 3 for non-Muslims^[1].

1 History
2 Assembly Building
3 References
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

The Provincial Assembly of Balochistan was constituted under a Presidential order in 1972. The first assembly session was held on May 2nd, 1972 with 21 members – one woman and twenty men.

Presiding over this first session were Mr. Muhammad Khan Barozai and Maulvi Shams Ud Din as Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively. Sardar Attaullah Mengal served as the first House Leader and Mr. Ghous Bakhsh Raisani as Opposition Leader.

[edit] Assembly Building

Previously the Provincial Assembly met at the Shahi Jirga Hall (Town Hall). The foundation of the present Assembly building was laid in 1973 by the then Governor Mohammed Akbar Khan Bugti. On his special instructions, the present design of the building was modeled on that of a ‘Gidaan’ (tent in Balochi). This unique building reflects the culture of Balochistan. The total area covered by the building is 12 hectares. Adjacent to the building, a hostel comprising of 66 rooms was built for the members of the Assembly. The present Assembly building was completed in 1986 and it was formally inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Mr. Muhammad Khan Junejo on 28 April, 1987.

The building of the Balochistan Assembly has a capacity of 72 seats for Members. Additionally, there are 25 seats in the joint Governor’s/Speaker’s Gallery for guests of honor and 25 seats for Provincial Government officials. The upper gallery has a capacity of 168 seats for distinguished guests, as well as 55 seats set aside for representatives of the news media.

The new Administration Building of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan accommodates approximately 40 Senior Officers in separate offices. It contains a Conference Hall for 61 people, a Committee Room for 23 people and a Committee Room for 17. ^[2]