PML-N agrees on names for Balochistan key slots

Party to nominate Sheikh Jaffar Mandokhail for governor’s post, Rahila Durrani for PA speaker

QUETTA:

The newly elected members of PML-N Balochistan on Sunday agreed on the names of Sheikh Jaffar Mandokhail for the post of the governor and Rahila Hameed Durrani for the slot of the provincial assembly speaker.

The names were decided during a meeting of the PML-N Parliamentary Group, chaired by its provincial chief Jaffar Mandokhail, held for discussing the government formation in Balochistan.

The huddle was attended by former Balochistan chief minister Jam Mir Kamal Khan Alyani from NA-257, Rahila Durrani, Sardar Abdul Rahman Khetran from PB-4, Saleem Ahmed Khosa from PB-15, and Mohammad Asim Kurd Gello from PB-12 among others.

The participants of the meeting said the PML-N should receive more important ministries and adviser slots in the Balochistan cabinet.

Some of them expressed their reservations over the inclusion of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) in the provincial government.
A day earlier, Balochistan Governor Malik Abdul Wali Kakar convened a session of the new provincial assembly on February 28.

As per the schedule, the newly elected members of the Balochistan Assembly will take oath during the maiden session of the provincial legislature.

The outgoing speaker of the Balochistan Assembly, Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali, will preside over the session and swear in the newly elected MPAs.

After the new MPAs are sworn in, the schedule for the election of the provincial legislature’s speaker and deputy speaker will be announced.

The four-party alliance – comprising the BNP-M, PkMAP, the National Party (NP) and Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) -- has planned to stage a protest demonstration outside the provincial assembly on February 28.

"We will protest [against the alleged polls rigging] on this day", Dawood Changezi, the central leader of the HDP told The Express Tribune.

He said an important meeting of the alliance was under way to devise a strategy for the protest.

Also on Saturday, PML-N president and its nominee for the premier’s position Shehbaz Sharif met a delegation of the party’s leaders and newly elected lawmakers from Balochistan in Lahore.

Shehbaz appreciated the passion of the PML-N’s newly elected MNAs, MPAs, and leaders.

The PML-N president expressed his gratitude to them for their efforts, which were helping in the emergence of political stability in the country.

He vowed that they would all work together sincerely for the development of Pakistan and its province Balochistan.

Shehbaz stressed the need for putting the interests of country first instead of political ones.

During the meeting, issues in connection with the government formation in Balochistan were discussed.

The PML-N leaders from Balochistan informed the party president about their efforts to reach out to other politicians in the province.