Balochistan meltdown

The political crisis in Balochistan deepens almost by the hour. The battle is on to oust the chief minister using a no-confidence motion and resignations are coming thick and fast. Two ministers resigned on Friday, one of them only having been in post for two days, and joined the group supporting the no-confidence motion against Nawab Sanaullah Zehri. Members of the Muslim League from the Quaid and Nawaz factions have revolted against the chief minister or defected. Powerful egos are in play and they are citing a variety of grievances against the CM claiming that they have been discriminated against and development funds that should have been in their hands to disburse were not. Some are claiming that they have been sidelined from the decision-making process.

Also on Friday 5^th January Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal joined the fray from Islamabad saying that the various resignations in Balochistan were all part of an effort to sabotage the Senate elections that are scheduled for March, and he opined that the “smooth holding of the Senate elections in March has become very uncertain.” Conspiracy was once again to the fore when the minister spoke to the media saying an effort was underway to get the assemblies dissolved and that “some elements harboured nefarious designs” against the democratic system.

None of this serves the process of governance or the people of Pakistan well. With the politicians throwing their toys around the playpen at a time when external threats loom large, a loss of focus and a preoccupation with electoral manoeuvers could not come at a more inopportune time. Unfortunately, there is going to be more of the same as the days and weeks advance, and the complex series of interlocking events that must precede the election play out. The timetable is extremely tight and it will take little to knock the process off course. The meltdown in Balochistan could evolve into a domino effect that sees the CM ousted and the reservations expressed by the minister could move from nebulous conspiracy to large stumbling block. And then there are the Americans…

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2018.

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