The big picture: Who will govern Balochistan?

[Talal]

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League is likely to play a leading role in the formation of a coalition government in Balochistan, according to independent analysts who are closely monitoring the post-poll scenario.

However, the key to this coalition is in the hands of the Pushtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), which has emerged as a top winner with 9 seats in the 51- member provincial assembly, according to unofficial results. The PkMAP however contends that all of its 11 candidates have won, although officials in the provincial government do not agree and maintain it has only nine seats.

The PML-N is placed as the second largest parliamentary party with 8 seats, but it has attained the position of the single biggest party in the Baloch dominated areas of Balochistan. Two of its ethnic Baloch candidates, Nawabzada Changaiz Marri and Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch have also managed to win national assembly seats from Dera Bugti cum Kohlu and Kharan .

However, despite a high number of its members in the assembly it is bit difficult for a Pakhtoon party, the PkMAP, to take over in a Baloch dominated province. Traditionally, it is essential to be a ethnic Baloch to be the chief minister of Balochistan .

It is expected that Mir Sanaullah Zehri , president of Balochistan chapter of PML-N would be the next chief minister with a nominee of PkMAP as a senior minister. Jan Jamali , a former chief minister who recently joined PML-N is also an aspirant for the top slot.

The number of PML-N seats could increase as a few MPAs, particularly Mir Sarfraz Bugti who has been elected from Dera Bugti- Kohlu as an independent after defeating Nawab Aali Bugti could join it.

The National Party (NP) with its 5 to 6 seats can also be part of the coalition, and with the possible support of JUI-F may even be in the running for the cm slot.

However, for PkMAP, it would be hard to accept its bitter rival JUI-F in the coalition. Baloch nationalist parties would also prefer to keep the ethnic Pakhtoon members of JUI-F out of power. Keeping in view the political understanding between Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mehmood Khan Achakzai, political analysts have ruled out any tug of war between the two parties over the formation of the future government.

As the top party, the PkMAP has bright possibilities to nominate one of its Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) for the office of the chief minister in a coalition government with Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and other Baloch nationalists parties and few independents .

It is pertinent to mention here that Mehmood Khan Achakzai is obliged to Nawaz Sharif for his NA victory. Nawaz Sharif had withdrawn two of his candidates, Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch and Nawabzada Lashkari who had filed their nomination papers against Achakzai.

PkMAP was one of those parties in Balochistan that refused to take part in 2008 general elections under military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf on the appeal of Nawaz Sharif.

The PML-N initially also had boycotted the elections but suddenly decided to contest leaving PkMAP and other parties out of the election process. Political analysts view Nawaz Sharif’s support to Achakzai as compensation for the political loss PkMAP had to suffer due to the boycott.

If the PkMAP gets the cm slot, it will be the first time that an ethnic Pakhtun nationalist party will form its government in a province where ethnic Baloch had always dominated the assembly.

The fate of BNP-M chief Akhtar Mengal is still unknown . According to media reports, the ECP has held the results of his constituency. However, it is claimed by BNP-M leaders that Mengal and his two candidates have won their seats from Gwadar and Quetta.

[Shehbaz Khan]

According to me Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party lead by Mehmood Khan Achakzai must be given a chance.

[Talal]

According to me Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party lead by Mehmood Khan Achakzai must be given a chance.

They cant have a CM. Balochistan only accepts an ethnic baloch as their leader. Achakzai is headed for president house

[tor_khan]

The PkMAP is not exclusively Pashtun, despite being Pashtun-centric. However, what this highlights is how at error the provincial boundaries are.

The Pashtun question | DAWN.COM

http://criticalppp.zippykid.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/balochistan-map1.jpg

One of the stated designs of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awaami Party is a review of the provincial boundaries to either form a continuous bloc with (Khyber) Pakhtunkhwa to the north or for regional recognition of the Pashtun areas drawn into the current map of Balochistan.

Achackzai's speeches are certainly worth listening to.

[asad71]

Such a wonderful people. And so unfortunate! It is easy to criticize Pakistan or Punjabis. But the apathy and greed of the tribal Maliks / Khans are responsible in no measure.

[Kushan Prince]

I think a Pakhtun should have the right to govern Godar because a baloch is already governing helmand which is a pashtun province. It should only be fair.

[Talal]

Nevermind, PKMAP might be in coalition but they no longer have majority. PMLN now has more seats so it will be a coalition headed by their candidate.

QUETTA: The PML-N has nominated Sardar Sanaullah Zehri for the chief ministership of Balochistan after it became the largest party in the provincial assembly with the joining of two MPAs-elect.

Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, an independent candidate elected from Dera Bugti, announced his decision to join the PML-N and MPA-elect Syed Mohammad Raza of the Majlis-i-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen announced his party’s support for the N-League at separate press conferences here on Wednesday evening. They were accompanied by Sanaullah Zehri, provincial president of the PML-N, and senior leader retired Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch.

Sardar Zehri said the party had nominated him for the chief ministership and set up a five-member committee, comprising Gen Qadir Baloch, Sardar Yaqoob Khan Nasar, Nawabzada Lashkari Raisani, Jamal Shah and Nasibullah Bazai, to hold talks with other parties on the formation of a coalition government in Balochistan.

After the joining of Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, the PML-N has become the largest party with 10 seats in the 65-member Balochistan Assembly, followed by Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party with nine, National Party (seven), JUI-F (six), PML-Q (four), Balochistan National Party-Mengal (two) and BNP-Awami, Awami National Party, Jamoot Qaumi Movement and Majlis-i-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen one each. There are eight independent members.

Sardar Zehri said he would try to form a stable government which could resolve the problems being faced by the people of this backward province. He said he believed in a strong opposition so that it could point out mistakes of the government and suggest measures for good governance.

The province had badly suffered in the absence of an opposition in the previous assembly. All members of different parties were in the government and they supported its every move whether wrong or right, leading to bad governance.

No one even asked the then chief minister about his absence from the province, said Sardar Zehri, who was minister for services and general administration in the cabinet of Nawab Aslam Raisani.

He said the top priority of the PML-N government would be to restore peace and order in Balochistan. “There was no writ of the pervious government which was responsible for the deteriorating law and order in the province,” he said, adding that without restoring peace no development work could be launched in the province.

He said Punjab was ahead of Balochistan in development because of better law and order. “People from all over the country and even many Baloch families have shifted to Punjab because of peace and order there.”

Sardar Zehri said his government would launch development projects and people would be provided basic facilities like heath, education and drinking water.

In reply to a question, he said he would make all efforts to persuade “angry Baloch brothers” to join the mainstream for resolution of all issues being faced by Balochistan. All stakeholders would be taken on board to resolve the issue of displaced people of Dera Bugti.

Gen Qadir Baloch said a number of independent MPAs had contacted the PML-N leadership for joining the party. He said the PML-N had nominated Sardar Zehri because he and his family had rendered sacrifices for democracy in Balochistan.