QUETTA - After days of political makes and breaks, the coalition parties on Thursday announced BAP’s Jam Kamal Khan as their pick for the slot of Balochistan chief minister and nominated Abdul Qudus Bizenjo as the provincial assembly speaker.
Balochistan Awami Party will form government in the province with the help of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and will be getting key posts, including chief minister, speaker and deputy speaker.
PTI leaders, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Jahangir Tareen, announced this after a meeting with BAP President Jam Kamal Khan Thursday.
It is not clear whether Balochistan National Party-Mengal is going to join the Balochistan government or not. Additionally, it is also not clear whether BNP-M will nominate candidates for the slots of chief minister, speaker and deputy speaker or not.
Last week, BNP-M agreed to support Muttahida Masjlis-e-Amal to form a united opposition, but the situation changed as Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Jahangir Tareen visited Quetta, met Sardar Akhtar Mengal and conveyed the message of Imran Khan to him that PTI would support all the six demands of BNP-M.
On this occasion, BNP-M leader Mengal also talked to the media and hoped PTI Chairman Imran Khan would meet the BNP demands.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi said BNP-M had decided to support the PTI government in the Centre.
On the other hand, BNP-M wants to induct MMA in the Balochistan government also because both were allies, but the PTI Balochistan chapter has reservations over inclusion of MMA. According to sources, this issue would be resolved in next two days.
The second issue is the distribution of portfolios among allies on which no mechanism has so far been made.
A formula on distribution of ministries is, however, in the air according to which five ministers will be from BAP, senior minister, one other minister and an adviser from PTI and one minister each from ANP, BNP and Hazara Democratic Party while two ministers will be taken from independents.
PTI has six provincial seats, BAP 19, ANP three, BNP-M two and HDF two. There are 14 reserved seats for women and minorities in the Balochistan Assembly.
There are total 51 Balochistan Assembly seats. Election on one seat, PB-35 Mastung, was postponed in the wake of the suicide bombing that killed 153 people, including BAP candidate, Siraj Raisani, on July 13.
Meawhile, Jam Kamal Khan has claimed BAP has already achieved the required number to form the government in Balochistan, but doors are open to all in the interest of the province.
Jam Kamal named Balochistan CM
