Downsizing: Minister sacked from Balochistan cabinet

CM Balochistan sacks Environment Minister Ghulam Jan Baloch.

QUETTA:

Ghulam Jan Baloch, the Balochistan environment minister, has been sacked from the provincial cabinet by Chief Minister Aslam Raisani on Saturday.

Sources said that the decision was taken at the request of the Balochistan National Party Awami faction, to which Baloch belonged. His portfolio has been handed over to Mir Asghar Rind, the provincial minister for social welfare who also belongs to the BNP-Awami. Rind has already been notified of the addition to his portfolio of responsibilities.

Secretary General of BNP-Awami, Asad Baloch, said that his party held a meeting during which the party leaders expressed their dissatisfaction over the performance of Ghulam Jan Baloch.

“He had also violated party discipline hence party requested for his removal,” he said.

Asad Baloch also said that he felt that the Balochistan cabinet was too large and that sacking a minister would help decrease the burden on the taxpayer. There are 49 ministers and advisers in the Balochistan cabinet out of a provincial legislature of 64 members. The current cabinet is the largest in the province’s history.

Ghulam Jan Baloch is the fourth provincial minister removed from the cabinet by the chief minister. Earlier, Ali Madad Jattak, Irfan Karim and his wife Robina Irfan Karim were also removed from the provincial cabinet for similar reasons.

A criminal case of cheating had been registered against Ali Madad Jattak on the orders from the Election Commission for presenting an invalid degree at the time of filing his nomination papers.

Both federal and provincial governments have come under attack in recent months for having bloated cabinets.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2011.