Dr Abdul Malik Baloch. PHOTO: FILE
QUETTA:
Dr Abdul Malik Baloch was elected unopposed to the slot of Balochistan chief minister on Saturday as no other political party fielded a candidate for the coveted office. The chief minister-elect will be sworn in at 6pm today (Sunday).
Dr Malik was the consensus candidate of a three-party coalition in the Balochistan Assembly that comprises Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and National Party (NP).
Potential candidates were asked to submit their nominations between 10am and 2pm on Saturday. No one but Dr Malik submitted the nomination forms. Subsequently, he was declared elected unopposed.
Speaking to journalists after filing his nomination forms, the chief minister-elect said he would finalise his cabinet soon. He, however, wouldn’t say anything about the possible makeup of his cabinet.
Even though the ruling coalition comprises three parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s legislator Abdul Qadoos Bizenjo was elected as deputy speaker of the provincial assembly.
When asked, Dr Malik said the decision was taken by the PML-N because the coalition partners had concurred in their Murree meeting that it would be the PML-N’s prerogative to name candidates for speaker and his deputy.
Dr Malik called upon other political parties to join hands with his administration to steer Balochistan out of crises. He promised to address the sense of deprivation among the people of his province. He conceded that the Balochistan people had been subjected to excesses in the past.
The chief minister-elect also pledged that he would do all he could to address the festering issues of enforced disappearances, kidnapping for ransom and targeted and sectarian violence in the province.
He disclosed that his administration has already devised a strategy to negotiate with Baloch separatist groups. He added that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has assured him that the strategy would be implemented.
Dr Malik said the government would seek input from national and international experts while preparing the provincial budget for fiscal year 2013-14. He also encouraged the youth in Balochistan to focus on education.
Earlier, a JUI-F delegation, led by Maulana Abdul Wasay, met with Dr Malik and offered him unconditional support for his bid for the office of chief minister. Reportedly, Abdul Rehman Kehtran also pulled out of the race following a meeting with Dr Malik.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 9th, 2013.
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