QUETTA:
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has sent a team of senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders to resolve differences between the party’s Balochistan chapter and its coalition partner in the provincial government, National Party (NP).
The team, which comprises Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Senator Sardar Yaqoob Nasir, Raja Zafarul Haq and Nawab Jangayz Marri, reached Quetta on Saturday and met with PML-N’s provincial leadership. It will submit a report to Prime Minister Nawaz after holding meetings with leaders from PML-N’s Balochistan chapter and its coalition partners, namely NP and the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP).
“We have heard the complaints and grievances of [provincial] ministers from our party, and we will go and discuss grievances with our coalition partners in Balochistan before submitting a report to the PM,” Rafique told reporters after the hours-long huddle with PML-N Balochistan leaders.
“The PML-N leadership will only then decide what position to take,” he added.
Rafiq said despite securing a majority in the Balochistan Assembly, PML-N chose to give nationalist parties a chance to form the government. He said his party could have easily elected a chief minister from within it ranks if it wanted.
Quetta’s only five-star hotel also saw unprecedented political activity on Saturday, as both PML-N and NP leaders were present there for hours.
Talking to The Express Tribune, a senior NP leader said the PML-N Balochistan leadership was doing its utmost to remove Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch. He added that this would be impossible, however, since NP had the support of the central PML-N leadership.
The PML-N team is going to have dinner NP and PkMAP leaders to discuss the complaints lodged its provincial leaders against them.
The chief of PML-N’s Balochistan chapter, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, has been threatening to part ways with the provincial government for the last couple of months. The source of his ire was an FIR registered against him.
CM Abdul Malik Baloch has said he is trying to resolve the issues within the government and address the grievances of PML-N Balochistan leaders.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2014.
COMMENTS (6)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
@Shuaib Bhat: You are right, he should stop talking about corruption, nepotism and turning Pakistan into a monarchy, ruled by a particular family. When IK will stop doing this everything will fall in its place and there will be tremendous progress in the country. All the problems in the country are because IK is demanding justice. He has no right to do that. We should all be slaves to the two (2) family rule in Pakistan. I know that my letter is not going to be published.
No dount he offered them some more cash for shutting up.
Any bad happens - blame Imran Khan, anything good happens claim your performance - is a current PMLN-PPP policy.
@Pakictan: If Imran Khan would ac responsibly, things would be 10x better.
When in power, 99% time is spent on saving the government and just one percent on making new assets. so you see how difficult is this to rule in Pakistan and PMLN is doing the best it can.
It looks like the incumbent government, like it's predecessor is solely focused and concentrating on self survival and none of the problems that have structurally been eroding the country from within (reforms in education, health, energy, economy, Baluchistan, extremism/security etc) are getting addressed - either due to lack of capacity/capability and/or the will. You can pin the blame on the "conspiracies" for the lack of progress but where is the agenda or even a single attempt that shows the sincerity.