Balochistan Assembly: PkMAP’s surprise turns to outrage

His election is all the more surprising because PML-Q is not among the three-party ruling coalition of Balochistan.


Qaiser Butt June 05, 2013
A file photo of the Balochistan assembly. PHOTO: NNI

ISLAMABAD:


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.

COMMENTS (11)

Ali Kakar | 10 years ago | Reply

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..

Humayun | 10 years ago | Reply

I support PKMAP's protest. But the question is, was his election as deputy speaker with out ballot ?

VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ