Balochistan Assembly: Speaker Jan Jamali and his deputy Qudoos Bizenjo take oath

CM-designate Dr Malik says govt to resolve problems, failure not an option.

QUETTA:

Following his unopposed election as speaker of the Balochistan Assembly, PML-N’s Jan Muhammad Jamali was sworn in by his predecessor Matiulah Agha on Tuesday.

Speaker Jamali, in turn, administered oath to his deputy Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo, who belongs to the PML-Q.

In his farewell speech in the assembly, the outgoing speaker expressed optimism that his successor would live up to the expectations of the house.

Jamali, who has served two consecutive terms as deputy chairman of the Senate, thanked the lawmakers for reposing trust in him.

“I would first try to make a standing committee because during the last five years, there had been no public accounts committee in the Balochistan Assembly. It is very important to have an oversight body so that public funds are not wasted,” Jamali said. He assured the house of being neutral.

Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, the leader of the house-designate, said people would keep a close eye on the actions of the provincial lawmakers. “We will have to resolve their problems. Our failure will have a negative impact.”

PML-N’s parliamentary leader Sardar Sanaullah Zehri also hoped that the new speaker would come up to the expectations of the house. “It is a positive step that Jamali has been elected unopposed,” he added.

JUI-F’s parliamentary leader Maulana Abdul Wasay, PkMAP’s parliamentary leader Nawab Ayaz Jogiza and the lone member of the Awami National Party Engineer Izmarak Khan also congratulated the new speaker.

Maulana Wasay hoped Jamali would respect the traditions of Balochistan. Nawab Jogezai assured the house that the new coalition government would ensure rule of law and good governance in the province.

The lone lawmaker of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslemeen Agha Raza called for improving the law and order in the province. He called upon the ruling coalition to restore people’s confidence in the government.

Multilingual house

Interestingly, in Tuesday’s sitting the lawmakers delivered speeches in different languages, including Balochi, Brahvi, Pashto, English and Urdu, which showed the ethnic diversity of the province.

Apparently, Speaker Jamali favoured the move, saying that the house would have a facility for translating speeches in other languages. But Deputy Speaker Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo opposed speeches in mother tongues.

All other lawmakers opposed Bizenjo, saying that Balochi, Brahvi and Pashto were local dialects.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2013.