QUETTA, May 19: The PML-N, the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and National Party (NP) which together have a majority of seats in the Balochistan Assembly have agreed to form a coalition government and authorised Nawaz Sharif to nominate the leader of the house.

This was announced by PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif here on Sunday after holding discussions with the MPAs-elect of his party and leaders of the PkMAP and NP.

He said Nawaz Sharif would consider recommendations made by the prospective coalition partners.

Shahbaz Sharif, who was accompanied by PML-N leaders Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Senator Pervez Rasheed, held separate meetings with delegations of his party and the NP and PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai.

Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, Sardar Saleh Bhootani, Nawabzada Jangez Khan Marri and retired General Abdul Qadir Baloch of the PML-N and NP leaders Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Mir Hasil Bizenjo and Mir Tahir Bizenjo took part in discussions about the formation of the government.

Mr Sharif said that the three parties had simple majority in the assembly.

About the inclusion the Jamiat Ulama-i-Islam (Fazl) in the coalition, he said that the PML-N and allies would jointly take a decision in this regard.

Balochistan, he said, would have a small cabinet and a corruption-free government this time. “It will try to provide basic amenities and jobs to people and develop education, health, agriculture, irrigation, public health engineering and other sectors.”

He said that the people of the province had suffered because of massive corruption, bad governance and deteriorating law and order over the past five years.

“We have learned a lesson from our past mistakes and will not repeat them,” Mr Sharif said.

He said that performance of the PML-N in Balochistan was satisfactory and it had emerged as the leading political party in the province.

He said that the PML-N would promote harmony among all political parties to strengthen democracy.

Earlier, on his arrival in Quetta airport he said that Nawaz Sharif wanted to take serious steps to remove the sense of deprivation among the people of Balochistan.

He said that the issue of Balochistan would be amicably resolved with joint efforts of all political stakeholders.

The PML-N would introduce a model government to put the country on the path of progress and prosperity, accelerate the pace of development and boost national economy.

He said that people would feel a difference between the new government and the previous ones.

Talking to reporters after meeting Shahbaz Sharif, senior vice-president of the NP Mir Hasil Bizenjo confirmed that his party, the PML-N and PkMAP had agreed to form a coalition government whose chief minister would be selected by Nawaz Sharif.

He said that the coalition government would discard the policy of granting massive development funds directly to MPAs because it had led to unprecedented corruption.

The coalition government would try to meet the expectations of the people and ensure that the benefit of development trickled down to the grassroots level, he said.

He expressed the hope that the coalition government would set an example of good governance without which the goal of a developed and prosperous Balochistan could not be achieved.