Pakistan: Balochistan awaits cabinet formation

Balochistan [Pakistan], April 6 (ANI): Despite assurances by Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, the formation of the state cabinet remains in limbo, even after the election of Bugti as the leader of the house about a month ago, Dawn reported.

Bugti, who took the oath as chief minister on March 2, had earlier hinted that the cabinet would be formed after the Senate elections, and the swearing-in of the ministers was likely on April 4, Dawn reported.

While provincial cabinets have been established in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh, Balochistan has yet to follow suit. The process of Senate elections has already been completed, and all 11 senators from Balochistan have been elected unopposed. It was expected that coalition partners would choose the cabinet with consensus in the same way as they lent support to the candidates for the Senate, Dawn reported.

CM Bugti and leaders from other coalition parties held multiple rounds of meetings to finalize the list of ministers and advisors. Bugti also met with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Asif Ali Zardari to seek his approval for the party’s candidates for ministries. Despite the near-finalization of arrangements among coalition partners, sources revealed that the cabinet’s oath-taking, slated for April 4, was postponed due to Bugti’s unexpected departure abroad because of his elder brother’s illness.

“The matters regarding cabinet formation have been settled between the coalition parties, but the announcement was delayed due to the chief minister’s trip,” the newly appointed spokesman for the Balochistan government, Shahid Rind, confirmed on Thursday. The process will be completed after the CM’s return, he said. Rind also claimed that one more party might join the coalition, currently comprising the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) PML-N, Balochistan Awami Party, and Awami National Party.

“As per the power-sharing formula, PPP and PML-N would be the main shareholders, while other parties would also get some share in the cabinet,” sources said.”Now, the parties will choose MPAs for the posts of ministers and advisors,” Dawn reported while quoting a senior PPP leader.

However, PML-N suffered a setback as it lost the slot of speaker when retired captain Abdul Khaliq Achakzai was removed from his position after the ECP cancelled the notification of his victory from PB-51 Chaman.

Accepting petitions of his three rivals, Muhammad Asghar Achakzai of ANP, Abaseen Achakzai of PkMAP, and Muhammad Nawaz of JUI-F, the ECP has ordered re-polling in 12 polling stations. The result of 12 polling stations was cancelled after the ECP observed an unusual pattern of voting.