How political crisis worsened in Balochistan

QUETTA: The political crisis seems to be worsening in Balochistan in the aftermath of the no-confidence motion put forth by as many as 14 members of the provincial assembly (MPA) against the Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri and subsequent resignations of two members of his cabinet – Mir Safraz Ahmed Bugti and Mir Sarfraz Chakar Domki.

In the latest development, Advisor to Chief Minister MPA Prince Ahmed, who belongs to the PML-N, also tendered his resignation. Surprisingly, the letter of resignation bears the date of December 27, 2017. 

The chief minister, on the other hand, dismissed the Special Assistant to Chief Minister for Excise and Taxation Amanullah Notezai. Notezai was among the 14 MPAs of the assembly who submitted the no-confidence move against the chief minister.

While the situation looked stable and it seemed it was easy sailing for the Zehri-led coalition government until a few days back, something was sweltering in the political pot of the province, which gradually became apparent.

It was surprising when an MPA affiliated with the PML-Q, Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo and Agha Syed Mohammad Raza from Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslameen (MWM) – who otherwise backed the coalition government – appeared and submitted the no-confidence motion in the provincial assembly on behalf of other members, under Article 136 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

The submission of the no-confidence motion apparently paved way for the political turmoil in the province. After the resignation of Minister of Fisheries Mir Chakar Domki on Tuesday, the news of the resignation by the Home Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti gripped social media. When contacted, his close aides said he had decided to tender his resignation.

While news about Bugti was aired on the electronic media, official sources said that the chief minister had removed the home minister from his post. A notification to this effect was issued by the Services and General Administration Department Balochistan.

“The Balochistan governor is pleased to order that Mir Sarfraz Bugti, Provincial Minister, shall stand removed from the office Member of the Provincial Cabinet with immediate effect,” the notification said.

Political pundits, as well as insiders, are anticipating a few more resignations. This means that the political crisis is likely to deepen further with the passage of time.

Sources of the provincial assembly have said that a session of the assembly is likely to be summoned on requisition by the otherwise 14 dissenting members early next week to decide the fate of the no-confidence motion.

Needless to mention here is that Zehri would need a simple majority of 33 votes to continue as the Leader of the House in the provincial assembly. 

A good sign is that the leaders of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and National Party (NP) have already announced their support for Zehri against the no-confidence motion.

While both PkMAP and NP have 34 members, PML-N also has 22 members in its fold. 

If the three resigning members from PML-N (Bugti, Domki, and Ali) go against the chief minister and the NP member – Mir Khalid Lango – also deviates from the party decision, it would not make any difference whatsoever.

Notwithstanding, the day and time the no-confidence motion tabled in the assembly would determine the actual number of friends and rivals of Chief Minister Zehri.