Balochistan awaits formation of provincial cabinet

• Lawmakers link delay with Senate's April 2 elections.
• MPAs will elect senators members against 11 total seats.
• Balochistan CM took oath of office earlier this month.

QUETTA: It has been 19 days since Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti took oath of office but is yet to form a cabinet to begin running provincial affairs smoothly.

In this regard, the province's chief executive announced that two more weeks are required to form the cabinet.

The restive province currently remains deprived of a cabinet, as provincial lawmakers link the delay in the formation of cabinet with the Senate's April 2 elections.

It should be noted that a total of 57 lawmakers in the province were administered oath by Zamrak Khan Achakzai, who was appointed the presiding officer for the maiden session of the provincial legislative on February 28.

Members who took oath included the elected lawmakers from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and others. 

Bugti, who was elected for the coveted CM post unopposed, took oath of office on March 2, facing hydra-headed challenges as the province remains badly impacted by terrorism.

Meanwhile, Senate elections will take place next month with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) set to issue the revised list of the candidates on 26th of this month. Candidates who want to withdraw their nomination papers, could have done so by March 17.

It is pertinent to mention here that 52 seats in the upper house of parliament will fall vacant after the expiration of the 6-year term of the incumbent Senators on Tuesday. 

The elections, however, would be held to elect 48 senators as 4 reserved seats for the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) had been abolished after the 25th Constitutional amendment.

Polling would be held to elect members against seven general seats, two women, two seats for technocrats, including Ulema and one seat for non-Muslims from Sindh and Punjab.

In addition to this, lawmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan would elect members against seven general seats, two women and two seats for technocrats, including Ulema.

Members of the National Assembly will elect one general seat and one seat for technocrats, including Ulema from the federal capital, it added.