QUETTA, Sept 22: A splinter group of angry Muslim Leaguers within the party is likely to be formed in Balochistan.

They have expressed reservations about what they described as the chief minister's unnecessarily soft attitude towards the MMA.

Deputy Speaker of the Balochistan Assembly Mohammad Aslam Bhootani said here on Wednesday that the formation of forward bloc within the party couldn't be ruled out, adding that the provincial government was continuously ignoring PML members.

"The discriminatory attitude of the government was pushing the PML members towards formation of the forward bloc," he told Dawn adding that the PML central leadership should immediately take notice of the situation and resolve the issue.

While referring to the withdrawal of a resolution moved by the PML in the house which sought President Pervez Musharraf not to give up the military uniform, Mr Bhootani said that the government had withdrawn the resolution under the MMA pressure.

He said this decision of the government had further created unrest among the PML members who wanted to pass the resolution. He said that the resolution would have been passed had the provincial government made a proper strategy in consultations with the party leadership.

Most of the members, he said, had expressed their dismay for not consulting them before finalizing the decision about moving the resolution in the house. He claimed that 27 members of the PML and its allied BNP-Awami party were present in the house while the MMA and Opposition members had only 26 members when the government withdrew the resolution.

He strongly criticized the MMA for opposing the resolution and said that it was holding all important and lucrative portfolios and taking maximum benefits by remaining in the government but it was reluctant to support the resolution moved by the PML.

In a related development, Mr Bhootani met Balochistan Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani here on Wednesday. During the meeting, he apprised the governor about difficulties being faced by the Muslim League members in fulfilling their promises made to the people about provision of jobs. The deputy speaker also informed the governor about the situation that led to the withdrawal of the resolution in the house.