A file photo of the Balochistan assembly. PHOTO: NNI
A key coalition partner in the Balochistan Assembly has expressed reservations on the unopposed election of a Pakistan Muslim League-Q MPA as the deputy speaker of the provincial house.
Members of the Pushtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) are shocked to see Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo of PML-Q installed as the deputy speaker, especially when his party is an arch rival of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, said Akram Shah, the party’s secretary general.
His election is all the more surprising because PML-Q is not among the three-party ruling coalition of Balochistan which includes Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), National Party (NP) and PkMAP, he said.
“It was decided that no fourth party will be accepted as a power sharing partner,” Shah said.
Shah said he opposed PML-N’s acceptance of Musharraf’s allies in its fold. “If the PML-Q MPAs are accepted in Balochistan, why are its top leaders in Punjab not being accepted in the ruling alliance?” he asked with reference to Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Chaudhry Pervaiz Ellahi and Mushahid Hussain.
Meanwhile, the head of PML-N’s Balochistan chapter, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri did not attend telephone calls by The Express Tribune seeking his comment on the issue.
PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq while commenting on the issue said election of PML-Q MPA as the deputy speaker was a local arrangement by his party’s parliamentary leader. However, he rejected the notion that the PML-N has entered into a power-sharing pact with the PML-Q in Balochistan.
Such arrangements were sometimes necessary in a tribal society like Balochistan, said Haq recalling the time when 64 MPAs of Balochistan Assembly were part of the provincial cabinet.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 5th, 2013.
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He was elected because PMAP and NP had agreed to give speaker and deputy speaker to PML(N).Therefore,no PMAP or NP candidate filed papers for these posts.He was the only one who filed the papers and hence elected unopposed.PMAP and NP had thought that PML(N) will bring their own candidate but they gave this seat to this man..
I support PKMAP's protest. But the question is, was his election as deputy speaker with out ballot ?
And another "game" of democracy begins in Balochistan.Sad
@Baloch Khsn: He was elected unopposed. No one voted because he had endorsement of all political parties including PkMAP
@A J Khan: Dear Mr. A J Khan--- Qudoos was opposition's candidate and such he was supposed to lose as he should not have the majority votes. He won because some of the PML N members have voted in his favour. The group was led by Zehri and Marri. This is a fact now snd every body knows about it. The central PML N has even given its reaction in this regard.
Did Akram Shah or his Party object to the unopposed election of a Pakistan Muslim League-Q MPA as the deputy speaker? How could a PML Q member get elected without endorsement of PkMAP and NP? If PkMAP was against PML Q candidate, why didn’t they caste their vote against Mr Qadoos Bazenjo? This is just the beginning of political gimmicks which has been played by every political government of Pakistan.
Breaking basic principles is corruption. So, it's case of corruption, corruption and corruption, nothing but corruption.
It shows the corrupt and selfish mind of Baloch Sardars, like Zehri and Marri, who must have played role after losing their bid to become the chief minister. Mian Nawaz Sharif should investigate and must take action if members of his party are involved. Clean the party now, stop corruption right in the beginning or stick to the same old same old.
There is a general perception in Pashtun regions of Balochistan that it's not the Pakistani establishment that the Balochs feel threatened most. Balochs feel much more threatened by the Pashtuns of Balochistan compared to the so-called Punjabi-dominated Pakistani establishment. Balochs have always feared Pashtuns and the unprincipled election of the deputy speaker from a non-coalition party is one Such example. The majority of the PkMAP's coalition partners are Balochs. They ignored their Pashtun coalition partner in favour of non-coalition Baloch member. It's a clear sign that the newly formed coalition has failed right in the beginning. No body should expect PkMAP to trust NP and PML (N)'s Baloch members after this ugly episode. That's it.