Senate election in Balochistan: JUI-F becomes the most sought-after party

PkMAP, NP and PML-N approach Maulana Fazl’s party individually.

QUETTA: The upcoming Senate election has set off political wheeling and dealing in the country. The ruling parties in Balochistan are wooing the opposition in a bid to enlist its support to clinch maximum seats in the upper house of parliament.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), National Party (NP) and Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) – the three coalition partners in the Balochistan government – have individually approached the main opposition party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), for support.



The PML-N has 22 legislators in the provincial assembly. The party is in alliance with the PML-Q of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat which has only four MPAs in the house. Their collective strength is 26. The PkMAP is the second largest party with 14 MPAs, followed by the NP which has 11 legislators. The PML-N has differences with its two allies: PkMAP and NP. And this is why they might not contest the Senate elections jointly.

The three parties are trying individually to enlist the support of JUI-F, the only major opposition party in the assembly which has eight MPAs. A JUI-F politician in Balochistan confirmed that the PkMAP and PML-N have separately approached his party. “The JUI-F has still not decided which party it will support in the Senate elections,” he told The Express Tribune.

Apart from these four parties, the Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) has two MPAs, while the Awami National Party (ANP), Majlis Wahdatul Muslimen (MWM) and Balochistan National Party (BNP-Awami) have one MPA each. Nawabzada Tariq Magsi is the only independent legislator in the assembly.

The NP is already in an alliance with the PkMAP. A senior NP leader did not confirm whether his party would form an alliance with the PML-N. “If the JUI-F also joins us, our alliance will win five to six out of the total 12 seats,” he told The Express Tribune.

If the JUI-F decides to join hands with the PkMAP and NP, together they would have 33 MPAs. On the other hand, if the party goes for an alliance with the PML-N and PML-Q, they would collectively have 34 MPAs. Now, it all depends on the JUI-F which is still undecided about which party it would support.

The NP would elect party president Mir Hasil Khan Bezinjo and Dr. Yaseen Baloch as senators on general and technocrat seats, respectively.

The Balochistan Assembly has the lowest number of MPAs as compared to three other provincial legislatures. “It is also likely that the votes are sold for money. The MPAs of this poverty-stricken province will make more money for their votes than their counterparts in other provinces,” a senior opposition lawmaker told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity.

The elections will take place on 12 vacant seats - eight General, two Technocrat/Ulema, two women and one minority.

According to the schedule, aspiring candidates will collect nomination papers on February 10 and 11, and submit them on February 13, Provincial Election Commissioner Sayed Sultan Bayazeed told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2015.