October 28, 2021
The Balochistan Assembly will elect its next leader of the House in a session summoned tomorrow (October 29), days after Jam Kamal Alyani resigned from the post of chief minister.
Former Balochistan CM Jam Kamal Khan stepped down from the post on Sunday.
Nomination papers for the CM's post will be received today, according to media reports.
Balochistan Awami Party leader Abdul Quddoos Bizenjo, who also resigned from his post of the assembly speaker after Kamal tendered his resignation, has also got the support of PTI Balochistan leader Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, according to reports.
In the meantime, the federal government has said that it will support any candidate the BAP names as the new chief minister of the province.
Addressing a joint press conference, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjarani, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak and BAP President Zahoor Buledi said that the new government of Balochistan will consist of the same allies from the coalition that came into being in 2018.
They also announced the Centre's decision to support the BAP candidate. “We will support the decision of the majority within the BAP,” Khattak said when asked who the Centre will support as the new Balochistan chief minister.
While responding to another question about whether the federal government will support Bizenjo, who has been nominated by the BAP, Khattak said that it is BAP that has to reach a decision regarding Bizenjo.
We will support the decision made by the parliamentary group of BAP, he said.
On the other hand, the PTI Balochistan’s parliamentary committee had said a day earlier that it has decided to nominate MPA Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind as a candidate for Balochistan chief minister.
The decision was made at a meeting chaired by Rind held in Quetta to discuss the current political situation of the province. Balochistan MPAs Mir Naimat Zehri, Umar Khan Jamali, Balochistan Assembly Deputy Speaker Babar Moosakhail, Mubin Khilji, and Farida Rind attended the meeting.
The PTI also agreed to nominate Sardar Babar Moosakhail as the speaker for the Balochistan Assembly.
Meanwhile, the united Opposition on Monday decided to nominate Bizenjo as the new chief minister.
BAP interim president Zahoor Ahmed Buledi confirmed the development, shortly after Bizenjo resigned from his post as the speaker.
Buledi said that he would also consult other coalition parties over the selection of a new leader of the House.
Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran said all the coalition parties have nominated Bizenjo as the next chief minister. He said that consultations are underway with the PTI for the formation of a government.
"We invite everyone to work together for the betterment of Balochistan," he said.