Standing its ground: PkMAP unwilling to play second fiddle to PML-N
Both claim to be the largest parliamentary party with the right to form the next govt.
File photo of PML-N Sardar Sanaullah Zehri. PHOTO: NNI
ISLAMABAD:
With a gaggle of political groups busy in hard bargaining to cobble together a multi-party government in Balochistan, the PML-N is facing difficulties in achieving a leading role in the next provincial setup.
Initially, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) planned to head the coalition government with one of its own members firmly planted as the chief minister, and with the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and the National Party (NP) as junior coalition partners.
However, in a twist, PkMAP has seemingly emerged as the largest parliamentary party after bagging 10 seats in the 51-member provincial assembly, and is not willing to play second fiddle to PML-N, which won 9 seats.
“It is our constitutional right to form a government as we are the largest party in the assembly,” said PkMAP General Secretary Akram Shah. “Nawaz Sharif has already admitted that forming the government is the right of the largest parliamentary party in a province. Thus, keeping this in mind, we should form the Balochistan government.”
Shah emphasized that PML-N should respect PkMAP’s electoral mandate. “We will find other parliamentary parties to achieve our goal if the PML-N refuses to lend us support,” he remarked confidently.
However, PML-N president of the Balochistan chapter, Sanaullah Zehri refuted Shah’s statements and claimed that his own party was the largest parliamentary group in the province.
“Our strength in the assembly is 10-seats strong, as independent candidate, Mir Sarfraz Bugti, has joined PML-N. Furthermore, more independent members of the provincial assembly will join the party in the next few days,” said Santosh Kumar, a spokesperson for Zehri.
“Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen has won a seat and they have agreed to back our candidate for the chief minister position.”
According to high-level sources, PkMAP, the predominantly Pushtun party, is already negotiating with the Baloch nationalist NP, which bagged 7 seats, to form a coalition setup with its own member at the helm as chief minister. However, other sources said that NP chief Dr Abdul Malik is also vying for the chief minister position.
Additionally, NP Central Secretary Tahir Bizenjo was also unwilling to recognize the right of PkMAP to lead the coalition government. He, too, labelled PML-N as being the largest party, pointing out that many independent MPAs-elect have already joined hands with Nawaz.
According to Bizenjo, NP’s central executive committee will decide which group to join for setting up a coalition during a meeting fixed for May 19.
And yet, despite these assertions made by PkMAP and PML-N, PkMAP’s Shah remained firm in his stance. “It is not fair for PML-N to become the bigger party simply by accommodating independents,” he said. “We will not accept such tactics.”
Meanwhile, PkMAP members admitted that although talks are still underway with the PML-N and other parties, there is a general agreement amongst all that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, with 4 seats, will be kept out of the future Balochistan government.
According to the relevant laws, 27 seats are required to form the government in the province. No party has attained that number yet.
Cabinet conundrum
Unlike the previous government, the new government will be unable to offer portfolios to just anyone under the sun. In accordance with the 18th Constitutional Amendment, there can no longer be more than 15 members in Balochistan’s cabinet.
This amendment, passed during the Pakistan Peoples Party’s last tenure but not implemented, fixed the size of the Cabinet to 12% of the strength of the provincial assembly.
The Balochistan Assembly has 65 members, with 51 of them directly elected. It is expected that the number of Cabinet ministers will not exceed 9, and the number of advisers will not go beyond 6.
With this rule in place, the new chief minister, unlike his predecessor, Nawab Raisani, will be unable to oblige individuals – instead, parties in the coalition government will be asked to nominate members for the cabinet.
According to sources, this arrangement is bound to create resentment amongst the newly-elected members.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 17th, 2013.
With a gaggle of political groups busy in hard bargaining to cobble together a multi-party government in Balochistan, the PML-N is facing difficulties in achieving a leading role in the next provincial setup.
Initially, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) planned to head the coalition government with one of its own members firmly planted as the chief minister, and with the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and the National Party (NP) as junior coalition partners.
However, in a twist, PkMAP has seemingly emerged as the largest parliamentary party after bagging 10 seats in the 51-member provincial assembly, and is not willing to play second fiddle to PML-N, which won 9 seats.
“It is our constitutional right to form a government as we are the largest party in the assembly,” said PkMAP General Secretary Akram Shah. “Nawaz Sharif has already admitted that forming the government is the right of the largest parliamentary party in a province. Thus, keeping this in mind, we should form the Balochistan government.”
Shah emphasized that PML-N should respect PkMAP’s electoral mandate. “We will find other parliamentary parties to achieve our goal if the PML-N refuses to lend us support,” he remarked confidently.
However, PML-N president of the Balochistan chapter, Sanaullah Zehri refuted Shah’s statements and claimed that his own party was the largest parliamentary group in the province.
“Our strength in the assembly is 10-seats strong, as independent candidate, Mir Sarfraz Bugti, has joined PML-N. Furthermore, more independent members of the provincial assembly will join the party in the next few days,” said Santosh Kumar, a spokesperson for Zehri.
“Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen has won a seat and they have agreed to back our candidate for the chief minister position.”
According to high-level sources, PkMAP, the predominantly Pushtun party, is already negotiating with the Baloch nationalist NP, which bagged 7 seats, to form a coalition setup with its own member at the helm as chief minister. However, other sources said that NP chief Dr Abdul Malik is also vying for the chief minister position.
Additionally, NP Central Secretary Tahir Bizenjo was also unwilling to recognize the right of PkMAP to lead the coalition government. He, too, labelled PML-N as being the largest party, pointing out that many independent MPAs-elect have already joined hands with Nawaz.
According to Bizenjo, NP’s central executive committee will decide which group to join for setting up a coalition during a meeting fixed for May 19.
And yet, despite these assertions made by PkMAP and PML-N, PkMAP’s Shah remained firm in his stance. “It is not fair for PML-N to become the bigger party simply by accommodating independents,” he said. “We will not accept such tactics.”
Meanwhile, PkMAP members admitted that although talks are still underway with the PML-N and other parties, there is a general agreement amongst all that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, with 4 seats, will be kept out of the future Balochistan government.
According to the relevant laws, 27 seats are required to form the government in the province. No party has attained that number yet.
Cabinet conundrum
Unlike the previous government, the new government will be unable to offer portfolios to just anyone under the sun. In accordance with the 18th Constitutional Amendment, there can no longer be more than 15 members in Balochistan’s cabinet.
This amendment, passed during the Pakistan Peoples Party’s last tenure but not implemented, fixed the size of the Cabinet to 12% of the strength of the provincial assembly.
The Balochistan Assembly has 65 members, with 51 of them directly elected. It is expected that the number of Cabinet ministers will not exceed 9, and the number of advisers will not go beyond 6.
With this rule in place, the new chief minister, unlike his predecessor, Nawab Raisani, will be unable to oblige individuals – instead, parties in the coalition government will be asked to nominate members for the cabinet.
According to sources, this arrangement is bound to create resentment amongst the newly-elected members.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 17th, 2013.