An orderly transition

Sanaullah Zehri has been nominated for the post of Balochistan CM in accordance with the tripartite Murree agreement

Good news out of Balochistan is a rarity and all the more welcome when it does arrive. Thus, there is much to be welcomed in the report that the issue pertaining to the decision on the province’s next chief minister was eventually resolved without much political acrimony, with Sanaullah Zehri being nominated for the post in accordance with the tripartite Murree agreement. He will take over from Dr Abdul Malik Baloch. There is no suggestion that Dr Baloch was doing anything other than a good job, indeed quite the reverse, and there was speculation that he might have his tenure extended because of this — but it was correct to honour the agreement in both letter and spirit. Doing otherwise might have made it difficult for Dr Baloch to continue to count on the support of his coalition partners. That the transition has passed peacefully and to plan is perhaps an indication of political maturity and an example of a willingness to use compromise as a tool of good governance — a rare quality in the politics of Pakistan.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif consulted with stakeholders that produced a series of guidelines regarding the responsibilities that will be carried by the new chief minister. Now, Dr Malik is to resign, a session of the provincial assembly will be convened to enable a vote of confidence to be taken and the election of a new leader, with the oath-taking probably expected on December 14. Whilst it would be extremely unwise to be so positive as to say that a new leaf has been turned in the unhappy politics of Balochistan, the process does demonstrate the art of the possible. Power-sharing, even in an environment as potentially volatile as Balochistan’s, can be done if there is the will to make it work, and the signatories to the Murree agreement appear to have decided that there is mileage for everybody in it, a win for all concerned and most especially the ordinary people of Balochistan. This is no universal panacea, but the three parties to the Murree agreement now have an opportunity to build on the successes of the last year. There is an agreement between the parties to employ ‘reconciliatory politics’ in the running of provincial affairs, and we can do no more than wish them good fortune in their endeavours.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th,  2015.

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