All set for Bizenjo to become CM as Kamal buries hatchet

Provincial assembly session convened today to elect leader of house

QUETTA:

Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo will be elected as the chief minister of the province unopposed after his rival, PTI’s parliamentary leader Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind, announced a day earlier that he was pulling out of the race.

As per the rules, the Balochistan Assembly session for the election of the Leader of the House would be held on Friday (today) at 10am.

Subsequently, the oath-taking ceremony of the new chief minister would take place at the Governor’s House in Quetta at 4pm.

Balochistan Assembly Deputy Speaker Sardar Babar Musakhel said five nomination forms for leader of the house had been submitted to the legislature’s secretariat.

“All five papers were submitted for Bizenjo. The documents were found to be correct after scrutiny,” he added.

Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran, Sardar Saleh Bhootani, Laila Tareen, Bushra Rind, Noor Mohammad Dumar, Matha Khan Kakar, Mir Zahoor Buledi, Mir Sikandar Umrani, Mohammad Khan Lehri and others filed papers for Bizenjo’s nomination from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Mir Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali has been nominated for the slot of the speaker, which fell vacant after Bizenjo had recently resigned.

Bizenjo said he would work for the betterment of the province.

“I am thankful to all the allies, former chief minister Jam Kamal and other political parties for supporting us,” he added while speaking to the media at the Balochistan Assembly.

“My job is not to speak, but to deliver. After taking oath, I will clarify my strategy and things will be seen on the ground.”

Bizenjo said he was particularly grateful to former chief minister Kamal for playing his role in saving the party.

Read Rind backs Bizenjo as Balochistan CM

“I have contacted him and I will also go to him.”

He said that the new government would benefit from the experience of all the seniors.

After filing the nomination papers, BAP’s Abdul Rehman Khetran said it would be a "historic" government where all 65 members of the provincial assembly were on the same page.

He added that the new chief minister would be "within the reach" of the common man and everyone would be respected.

Kamal, in a statement issued on Twitter, said BAP "stands together and firm on all consensus decisions".

“Our differences were before my resignation, but not after that. The party has no groupings and we all stand as one… my good wishes for Bizenjo and Jamali," he added.

A day earlier, PTI’s Rind announced that he was pulling out of the race and backing Bizenjo for the chief minister.

After Kamal stepped down as the chief minister, BAP nominated Bizenjo for the top slot.

However, the PTIs’ parliamentary party in the province named Rind for the position.

On Prime Minister Imran Khan’s instructions, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and Defence Minister Pervez Khattak reached Quetta to resolve the matter.

Rind made the announcement while addressing a news conference at his residence accompanied by Bizenjo as well as Khattak, Sanjrani, BAP acting President Mir Zahoor Buledi, its founder Senator Saeed Ahmed Hashmi, general secretary Senator Manzoor Khan Kakar and chief organiser Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali.