Daily Times

QUETTA: Three candidates including Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal and Agha Syed Liaquat Ali of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) submitted their nomination papers for the post of chief minister, at the Balochistan Assembly secretary on Friday.

Bizenjo of the PML-Q is all set to become the next chief minister as he enjoys support of the majority lawmakers in the assembly, including five from the PML-Q and 15 from the PML-N. While declaring Bizenjo as unanimous nominee for the next CM, Sardar Saleh Bhootani said that all legislators would support him in effectively running the province. PML-N MPA Jan Jamali also announced to support Bizenjo.

On the other hand, Abdul Rahim Khan Ziaratwal, who is a member of the public accounts committee, and Agha Syed Liaquat Ali, who is a member of the committee on home and tribal affairs, prisons and committee on planning and development, have been nominated on behalf of the PkMAP.

The Balochistan Assembly secretariat said that during an assembly session scheduled for 10 am on Saturday (today), the new provincial chief executive will be elected.

The election follows the resignation of Sanaullah Zehri, who quit on January 9 before a no-confidence motion against him could be taken up in the assembly. On Wednesday, opposition parties in the Balochistan Assembly had announced that they would not field a candidate for the post of chief minister.

Published in Daily Times, January 13^th 2018.