Murree power-sharing deal: Political uncertainty reigns in Balochistan

80% of provincial bureaucracy has stopped working

ISLAMABAD:

Amid prevailing political uncertainty in Balochistan, 80% provincial bureaucrats are said to have stopped working in anticipation of a possible change of the chief executive as envisioned in a power-sharing deal struck two and a half years ago. However, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has yet to decide whether or not to replace Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch.

After the May 2013 polls, three major parties in Balochistan — Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), National Party (NP) and Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) — had signed the power-sharing deal in Murree. According to the agreement, the chief minister would be from the NP, but he would step down midway through his five-year constitutional tenure to make way for another chief minister from the PML-N.



According to sources, PML-N’s senior leaders, particularly those from the party’s Balochistan chapter, have decided to push for implementation of the agreement. They are likely to call on the prime minister soon after his arrival from Malta to rack up the issue.

PML-N’s top central leaders – including Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Shahbaz Sharif, Let Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch and Khawaja Saad Rafique – as well as the Balochistan chapter leadership will call on the prime minister on December 3 or 4. They will not only pressure the prime minister to implement the Murree agreement but will also apprise him of PML-N’s vision for governing the province.



According to a PML-N official, the premier has yet not decided whether to implement the Murree accord or not. “During the upcoming meeting, he will listen to the party’s central and provincial leadership. Later he will also meet the PkMAP and NP leaderships,” the official said.



Talking to The Express Tribune, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said the prime minister would decide the fate of the Murree agreement. However, Rashid said he has no knowledge of the latest development.

PML-N’s Balochistan chapter, led by Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, has told the Prime Minister House and central leadership of the party that 80% of bureaucrats in the province have stopped working in anticipation of a possible political change.

PML-N Senator Agha Shahbaz Khan Durrani confirmed to The Express Tribune that they would meet the prime minister. He hoped all signatories would comply with the Murree agreement. “However, the prime minister may decide to change the plan at the eleventh hour,” he added.



He hoped the prime minister would convene a meeting of the party leadership before leaving for Paris to decide the fate of the Murree agreement in order to end political uncertainty in the province.


Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2015.