QUETTA: In a major breakthrough for government-making efforts in Balochistan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and National Party (NP) announced a coalition government in Balochistan, on Friday night.
PML-N provincial president Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, NP President Dr Malik, and senior leader of PkMAP Akram Shah addressed a joint press conference at a local hotel amid scores of other party workers. Speaking to media, Akram Shah of PkMAP said that for a better future of the people of Balochistan, all three major parties of the province have decided to form a coalition government and leader of the House would be chosen from the PML-N.
He said that biggest challenge for the provincial government would be that of law and order and the coalition government would try its utmost to rid the people of Balochistan of this dilemma. The media talk was quite brief and the leaders of the all three parties avoided answering other questions of journalists regarding the mechanism of improving law and order and the expected chief minister.
The strength of PML-N is growing in Balochistan, with more and more MPA-elects announcing their unconditional support for the party. The party’s strength rose to 18 members on Friday when MPA-elect Engineer Zamrak Khan Achakzai of Awami National Party (ANP) announced his unconditional support for it during a news conference. Speaking on the occasion, PML-N Balochistan President Sardar Sanaullah Zehri said that positive results have been achieved by the formation of a six-member committee that had held talks with PkMAP and NP.
He expressed his gratitude for the central and provincial leadership of ANP for their unconditional support, adding that Balochistan was facing the worst times in terms of law and order situation. “I assure the people of Balochistan that I would deliver on all the promises that I made to them,” said Sanaullah Zehri, adding that kidnapping-for-ransom had been troubling the province for quite a long time which needed an efficient government. He said that the people of Balochistan discarded the PPP government because of the rampant unemployment, distortion of law and order and misgovernance. He expressed his satisfaction over the elections, saying that he did not deny rigging in elections but mostly the candidates who have lost the elections level allegations of rigging.
PML-N has nominated Sardar Sanaullah Zehri for the chief minister’s office. Zehri said that the PML-N would form an exemplary government in Balochistan. Talking to a private news channel, he said that PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has nominated him for the post of chief minister and tasked him with forming government in the province. He said that four members of the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid have announced unconditional support for PML-N, while former provincial caretaker chief minister Sardar Saleh Bhootani has also joined Nawaz’s party.
The election of the chief minister would be a challenge for Nawaz Sharif, as all the three leading political parties, PML-N, PkMAP and NP are vying for the top slot. According to the results of the general elections for 50 provincial assembly seats, PkMAP clinched ten seats followed by PML-N’s 9, NP’s 7, JUI-F’s 6, PML-Q’s 5, BNP-Mengal’s 2 and one each of Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen, Jamoot Qaumi Movement and BNP-Awami, while 8 independent contestants have also been elected.
Thanks to the resounding victory of PML-N in Centre, several independent candidates, including former caretaker chief minister Sardar Saleh Bhootani, and Sarfaraz Bugti have joined the PML-N in Balochistan, while some other heavyweight politicians of PML-Q, ANP and Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen also announced their decision to support PML-N in government formation which has made the PML-N a single largest party in Balochistan. – DailyTimes
