Balochistan imbroglio : Assembly will be dissolved tomorrow: Raisani (National)

Parties fail to reach consensus over caretaker CM.

QUETTA/ ISLAMABAD:

The Balochistan Assembly will be dissolved on March 19 and a letter advising the same will be sent to the governor, Chief Minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani said on Sunday.

Raisani’s remarks were seconded by deputy parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Haji Ali Madad Jattak, who also assured that an interim set-up would be installed in the province by that time.

Speaking at a news conference, Haji Ali Madad Jattak heaped praise on the coalition partners “who helped democracy flourish in the province.” However, he was critical of lawmakers who flocked to the opposition benches.

On Saturday, as many as 17 legislators in the Balochistan Assembly handed in their resignation to opposition leader Nawabzada Tariq Magsi and pledged to join the opposition.

According to inside sources, the provincial cabinet meeting was also cancelled because of the exodus from the provincial government.

Sources close to the government, however, claim that leaders were busy handling provincial affairs. Jattak insists that the party members who resigned should sit in the opposition benches once their resignations are accepted. He added that the government has support of 47members.

With political loyalties changing overnight, there is a stalemate in the province over the interim set-up.

JUI-F flexing muscles

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) is flexing its political muscles to appoint its own nominee as caretaker chief minister in Balochistan.

Officials familiar with the development told The Express Tribune on Sunday that JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman will form an alliance with the PPP if a member of his party is nominated as caretaker chief minister. JUI-F’s Ismail Buledi is likely to be nominated for this post.

Buledi confirmed the development and said: “My party has asked me to prepare for this challenge.”



In a meeting with the PPP, Fazl said that his party will move for a political alliance with PPP in the next general election, a senior JUI-F leader said.

However, Chief Minister Raisani is backing Balochistan National Party-Awami’s leader Syed Ahsan Shah while Governor Balochistan Zulfiqar Magsi with the help of opposition leader Tariq Magsi are trying to install their nominee as caretaker CM, sources said.

The BNP-A is trying to gauge support of other political parties whether they are in the assembly or not for bringing a consensus candidate into the interim setup, said Ahsan Shah. “We will go ahead with consensus to form the government,” he said.

In a late-night development, JUI-F’s Maulana Abdul Wasay was named opposition leader in the provincial assembly as he got the support of 22 legislators. The speaker issued the notification of the opposition leader.

Governor Nawab Zulfikar Magsi accepted the resignations of 20 provincial ministers as 42 members ditched Chief Minister Raisani.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2013.