BAP calls off parliamentary party meeting

Senate chairman and Balochistan CM are expected to meet today

QUETTA: The Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) on Monday decided to call off parliamentary party meeting scheduled for today in order to discuss rifts that have developed between Chief Minister Jam Kamal and provincial assembly speaker Abdul Quddus Bizenjo.

The mediation committee, which held talks with the chief minister and the provincial speaker, has proposed to postpone the parliamentary party meeting of BAP as discussions continue in order to ease tensions between the two party heavyweights.

According to sources, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and Kamal are expected to meet today after averting a political chaos in Balochistan. Both leaders would discuss the political ramifications of Bizenjo’s statements on national and social media.

Sanjrani and Federal Minister for Defence Parvez Khattak on Sunday met with Bizenjo in Islamabad where the speaker shared his reservations.

Talking to media after the meeting, Sanjrani said that the reservations of Bizenjo have been heard and would be addressed on priority.

“We are satisfied with the performance of the CM and have resolved tensions between Kamal and Bizenjo,” said Sanjrani.

Bizenjo has reposed full trust on Sanjrani and Khattak after the meeting concluded. However, the privilege motions against Kamal, Balochistan Finance Minister Zahoor Buledi and Senator Sarfraz Bugti are yet to be withdrawn.

The provincial speaker had filed a privilege motion against the CM, urging the privilege committee to call an explanation from him, the minister and the senator for what he called “exploiting the privilege of the custodian of the house”.

“I have a right of freedom of speech being an ordinary citizen and speaker of Balochistan Assembly under Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan. However, provincial Chief Minister Jam Kamal issued a statement against me in a private newspaper labelling me a sentimental person,” stated Bizenjo in his motion.

Bizenjo addressed a press conference last week and claimed that he was compelled to speak up for people of Balochistan because the governance system had completely halted and people did not have access to the Chief Minister House. He said speaking against the speaker of the house is tantamount to talking against the Constitution.

He said he was the custodian of the house which comprises treasury and opposition members. Therefore provincial lawmakers and ministers should refrain from speaking against the speaker.

The speaker also claimed that toppling the government of Jam Kamal was an easy task because he had full support of like-minded members of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and members of opposition parties. He added the situation would be revealed in a few days.

Referring to a movement in 2018 before general election, the Balochistan Assembly speaker admitted that he had commenced movement against then Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief minister with the support of majority members.

Moreover, he had support of other members this time to continue his endeavours for good governance in the province. On Jan 22, the speaker expressed lack of trust on the chief minister while talking to a private news channel. He claimed that other lawmakers had also lost trust in Kamal.

Kamal responded to Bizenjo’s allegations against him last week announcing that he was ready to face a no-trust motion because the speaker’s statements were his own views.

After oath taking ceremony for two new ministers, Kamal said the speaker could only define the context in which he had given statements against performance of provincial government.

The CM added that a continual talk of no-trust move was being heard since he had taken oath as the Balochistan chief minister.

Earlier, the Balochistan Assembly speaker was affiliated with the PML-Q.

However, in 2018 Bizenjo joined BAP which was formed a few months before the general elections. A no-confidence motion was moved against the then chief minister Sanaullah Zehri and later Bizenjo became the CM till July 2018 polls. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2020.