Decision to Include Musa Khel in Koh-e-Sulaiman Division Rejected; Public Should Be Taken Into Confidence: Musa Khel National Alliance

Quetta (Syed Sardar Muhammad Khundai): Leaders of the Musa Khel National Alliance, including Sardar Isa Khan Musa Khel, Sardar Bahadur Khan Musa Khel, Malik Syed Muhammad Hanif Khundai, Sardar Abdullah Jan Jafar, Mulla Syed Naimatullah Khundai, Sardar Alamgir Jafar, Sardar and hundreds of other tribal elders, have rejected the alleged decision to separate District Musa Khel from Loralai Division and include it in Koh-e-Sulaiman Division.

Addressing a press conference at the Quetta Press Club on Sunday, the leaders said that they would not accept the decision under any circumstances. They demanded that the public, political and social representatives, and tribal elders be taken into confidence before making any administrative changes. They said administrative decisions should be based on geographical realities rather than political or electoral interests.

They demanded that the provincial assembly seat of Musa Khel be restored before the elections and that the areas of Rara Sham and Andar Pad be immediately brought back under the administrative jurisdiction of District Musa Khel. Otherwise, they said, they would not hesitate to make any sacrifice to protect their constitutional and legal rights. Other leaders were also present on the occasion.

The leaders said that Musa Khel is a district with a historic, tribal and geographical identity. They rejected the recent proposed administrative changes, particularly the alleged decision to separate Musa Khel from Loralai Division and include it in Koh-e-Sulaiman Division.

Giving historical details, they said that Musa Khel was granted the status of a tehsil in 1892, when it was administratively part of the Zhob Agency. In 1903, it was removed from the administrative system of Zhob and attached to Loralai. Since then, Musa Khel remained part of the Loralai administrative system as a tehsil. In 1992, Musa Khel was granted the status of a separate district and made part of Zhob Division. Later, during the government of General Pervez Musharraf in 2000, its district status was abolished and it was once again made a tehsil of District Loralai. The public launched a prolonged struggle against the decision, and in 2003, the district status of Musa Khel and other affected districts was restored.

They said the political representation history of PB-15 Musa Khel also reflects its importance. In the 2002 delimitation, Musa Khel was given its own provincial assembly seat, which remained in place during the 2008 and 2013 elections. In the 2018 delimitation, Musa Khel’s separate provincial seat was abolished and the area was merged with Sherani.

According to the 2017 census, Musa Khel had a population of 167,017. At that time, several districts of Balochistan with smaller populations than Musa Khel, including Duki, Jhal Magsi, Sibi, Awaran and others, had their own provincial assembly seats. According to the 2023 census, Musa Khel’s population was recorded at 182,275. In the new delimitation, it was separated from Sherani and merged with Barkhan.

Recently, two union councils of District Musa Khel, Rara Sham and Andar Pad, were administratively separated from Musa Khel and included in Barkhan. Musa Khel’s administrative and political identity has undergone continuous changes, while the views and wishes of the local population have not been given due importance in these decisions.