A file photo of Balochistan assembly. PHOTO: NNI
However, the key to this coalition is in the hands of the Pushtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), which has emerged as a top winner with 9 seats in the 51- member provincial assembly, according to unofficial results. The PkMAP however contends that all of its 11 candidates have won, although officials in the provincial government do not agree and maintain it has only nine seats.
The PML-N is placed as the second largest parliamentary party with 8 seats, but it has attained the position of the single biggest party in the Baloch dominated areas of Balochistan. Two of its ethnic Baloch candidates, Nawabzada Changaiz Marri and Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch have also managed to win national assembly seats from Dera Bugti cum Kohlu and Kharan .
However, despite a high number of its members in the assembly it is bit difficult for a Pakhtoon party, the PkMAP, to take over in a Baloch dominated province. Traditionally, it is essential to be a ethnic Baloch to be the chief minister of Balochistan .
It is expected that Mir Sanaullah Zehri , president of Balochistan chapter of PML-N would be the next chief minister with a nominee of PkMAP as a senior minister. Jan Jamali , a former chief minister who recently joined PML-N is also an aspirant for the top slot.
The number of PML-N seats could increase as a few MPAs, particularly Mir Sarfraz Bugti who has been elected from Dera Bugti- Kohlu as an independent after defeating Nawab Aali Bugti could join it.
The National Party (NP) with its 5 to 6 seats can also be part of the coalition, and with the possible support of JUI-F may even be in the running for the cm slot.
However, for PkMAP, it would be hard to accept its bitter rival JUI-F in the coalition. Baloch nationalist parties would also prefer to keep the ethnic Pakhtoon members of JUI-F out of power. Keeping in view the political understanding between Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mehmood Khan Achakzai, political analysts have ruled out any tug of war between the two parties over the formation of the future government.
As the top party, the PkMAP has bright possibilities to nominate one of its Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) for the office of the chief minister in a coalition government with Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and other Baloch nationalists parties and few independents .
It is pertinent to mention here that Mehmood Khan Achakzai is obliged to Nawaz Sharif for his NA victory. Nawaz Sharif had withdrawn two of his candidates, Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch and Nawabzada Lashkari who had filed their nomination papers against Achakzai.
PkMAP was one of those parties in Balochistan that refused to take part in 2008 general elections under military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf on the appeal of Nawaz Sharif.
The PML-N initially also had boycotted the elections but suddenly decided to contest leaving PkMAP and other parties out of the election process. Political analysts view Nawaz Sharif’s support to Achakzai as compensation for the political loss PkMAP had to suffer due to the boycott.
If the PkMAP gets the cm slot, it will be the first time that an ethnic Pakhtun nationalist party will form its government in a province where ethnic Baloch had always dominated the assembly.
The fate of BNP-M chief Akhtar Mengal is still unknown . According to media reports, the ECP has held the results of his constituency. However, it is claimed by BNP-M leaders that Mengal and his two candidates have won their seats from Gwadar and Quetta.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2013.
COMMENTS (10)
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PML-N and PkMAP are joint top parties with 9 seats each in Baluchistan. Consensus can be reached on a Baluch Cheif Minister from PML-N and a Pashtoon Senior Minister from PkMAP. Speaker-ship and ministries can be decided on the same lines between Baloch and Pakhtun representatives of other parties also.
@Kakar:
"there is already a separate province for Pakhtun brothers known as “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”.
Pashtoons living in what British named as Baluchistan, are natives of their territory and make about half of total population of Baluchistan. They have a right for separate province if a majority demands it. Moreover more than twice as many Baluch live in southern Punjab than in Baluchistan itself.
Punjab is too big in terms of population and Baluchistan too big in area. It would be nice to make smaller provinces out of all current provinces for better administration. A resident of Lasbela shouldn't have to travel to Quetta to visit provincial government offices.
Make old divisional boundaries as new provinces. This way it would be on administrative ground and not ethnic.
The mandate of Pashtun must be respected this time. Give CM to PMAP; otherwise divide the province into two. Pashtun will no longer remain as second class citizen in the province.
@Ahmad Khan Looni: @muhammad Sharif Kakar: @amjad khattak:
Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen!! And since when have the Baloch been the decision-makers upon the CMship of their province? This is decided by Punjabis, whether in khakis or civies.
NO DIVISION please , talk of ONLY UNION. is there any difference between balochs or pakhtuns in blood body parts.only difference is language . language is not a guarantee to success in this world or hereafter. please think.
@amjad khattak: there is already a separate province for Pakhtun brothers known as "Khyber Pakhtunkhwa".
Baloch nationalists should know that this time around it's the right of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party to lead the next provincial government. By not accepting a Pakhtun chief minister means the devision of Balochistan into two parts and the southern borders of the new southern Pakhtunkhwa province will be drawn from Sibi, going all the way to the Bolan mountains.
Now this is the time for baloch brothers to tolerate a Pakhtoon CM otherwise it will be the real right of pakhtun of Baluchistan to separate from Baluchistan in an isolated province by following the constitution of Pakistan.
if you can't let a pahktun be cm in balochistan, then why not give them a separate province?