In QUETTA, the ongoing discord over the appointment of an interim Chief Minister for Balochistan has prompted the involvement of a parliamentary committee. This step followed the inability of outgoing Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo and opposition leader Malik Sikander Khan to reach a consensus on a suitable candidate. Adding to the complexity, opposing parties have exhibited differences regarding the selection of committee members responsible for this decision.
The situation escalated when the outgoing Chief Minister rejected the nomination of Mir Ali Mardan Domki as the caretaker Chief Minister. This decision was proposed by former Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani and Malik Sikander Khan after discussions with interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar. Their declaration to the media proclaimed Domki as a consensus candidate for the role of caretaker Chief Minister.
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However, Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo, situated in Islamabad at the time, declined to endorse the selection of Mir Ali Mardan Domki, asserting that he hadn’t endorsed the latter as a consensus candidate. As a result of this impasse, the matter was referred to a parliamentary committee for resolution, necessitating a voting process for a decision.
Concurrently, the opposition leader forwarded three names to Balochistan Assembly Speaker Mir Jan Mohammad Khan Jamali, namely former MPs Mohammad Nawaz, Abdul Wahid Siddique, and Younas Zehri from the JUI-F. This move, however, drew criticism from the opposing Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) and the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party. Both parties expressed reservations regarding the exclusion of their members during the committee nomination.
The government side, led by Chief Minister Bizenjo, submitted three names for the parliamentary committee, including Bizenjo’s own name, Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran from BAP, and ANP’s Zamarak Khan Piralizai. Amidst this process, a late-evening development complicated matters further, as objections arose over Bizenjo’s nomination, prompting the speaker to clarify that the Chief Minister’s participation in the committee was permissible. Nonetheless, the issuance of the parliamentary committee’s notification was pending, awaiting Bizenjo’s submission of a third name.
On the opposition’s side, two names were submitted from the JUI-F for the caretaker Chief Minister position: Mir Ali Mardan Domki and Usman Badini. Akhtar Mengal expressed surprise over the nomination of Domki, noting that the BNP-Mengal had recommended Mir Hammal Kalmati, which wasn’t included in the list. This intensified the debate around the nomination process, reflecting the complexities of political negotiations and power dynamics in the province.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Governor Malik Abdul Wali Kakar dispelled social media rumors of his resignation, confirming his commitment to his gubernatorial role and quashing speculations surrounding his potential departure.
