A day after Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Jam Kamal emerged as the leading candidate for provincial chief minister, cracks have surfaced within the party, a private TV channel reported on Wednesday.
After securing the support of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday, BAP had 30 out of 50 general seats in hand in the Balochistan Assembly, giving it a simple majority to form the provincial government without support from other parties.
In a press conference held on Tuesday, Kamal’s candidacy for the CM role was endorsed by PTI leader Jahangir Tareen. “The party has nominated Jam Kamal and PTI fully supports him as candidate for Balochistan CM,” he had said. However, Kamal’s emergence as the front-runner for top job in the province does not appear to sit well with former Balochistan chief minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo and Jan Jamali.
When asked about PTI’s endorsement of Kamal, Bizenjo did not openly oppose it but said, “We created BAP in order to make decisions in Quetta rather than Bani Gala.”
Aside from friction within the BAP, the ‘sudden nomination’ of Kamal also seemed to strike a chord with the PTI Balochistan chapter. While not openly objecting to the party’s endorsement of the BAP chairman, Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, the president of PTI Balochistan said, “We just raised objections over the sudden nomination for the chief minister post without consultation of the parliamentary board.” “It is up to BAP to nominate a candidate. We have been directed by PTI chief Imran Khan to support BAP in Balochistan,” he added.
A BNP-M leader, who wished to remain anonymous, said that Jan Jamali, along with Nawabzada Tariq Magsi, held a meeting with Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the chief of Balochistan National Party (BNP) reportedly to gather support. No official statement has been made in this regard so far.
Meanwhile, BNP leader Sanaullah Baloch – who is also an MPA-elect – told the TV channel that his party hopes to form a coalition government with Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and other political parties. The BNP and MMA members also met in Quetta to discuss their future strategy in the aftermath of BAP’s electoral victory. The MMA has eight seats in Balochistan Assembly, while the BNP has seven. The Hazara Democratic Party and the Awami National Party, who were thought to be natural allies of the BNP, have also pledged their support to the BAP.
Published in Daily Times, August 2nd 2018.
