QUETTA: Governor Balochistan Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi on Monday dissolved the Balochistan Assembly on the advice of Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani.

An official notification was issued today in this regard.

“The Governor Secretariat has issued a notification regarding dissolution of assembly,” a spokesman for the Balochistan government said in a statement.

The provincial chief minister had already sent advice for dissolution of assembly to the governor.

The spokesman said Raisani would continue to act as the provincial chief minister until a caretaker CM is agreed upon by him and the opposition leader in the provincial assembly.

The Balochistan Assembly’s dissolution comes a day after the National Assembly was dissolved Sunday.

A caretaker setup is to be selected now to take over to oversee general elections which, according to the constitution, have to be held within 60 days of the assembly’s dissolution.

The provincial chief minister had agreed to send advice for dissolving the assembly following the transfer of chief secretary Balochistan – a long-standing demand put forth by Raisani.

CM Raisani and his coalition partners – the JUI-F, BNP Awami, ANP and independent lawmakers – had made tireless efforts to prop up senior minister Maulana Wasay as opposition leader in Balochistan Assembly.

Late Sunday night, Speaker Syed Matiullah Agha issued a notification regarding Maulana Wasey as the opposition leader of Balochistan Assembly.

However, the Balochistan High Court issued a stay order against the notification of Wasay as the opposition leader, thus restoring as opposition leader Nawabzada Tariq Magsi, the brother of Governor Zulfikar Magsi.

Chief Justice Balochistan High Court, Qazi Faez Isa, said in his remarks that it was unacceptable that a man who had been enjoying ministry for five years could become the opposition leader just a day before dissolution of assembly.

“This is against the spirit of constitution and democracy,” said Chief Justice Isa.

A divisional bench of the BHC has issued notices to the Deputy Attorney General and the Advocate General for tomorrow in this regard.

So far, no name for the caretaker chief minister, who will oversee the government during general elections, has been proposed by any political group.

Nawabzada Tariq Magsi, the opposition leader and his supporters have put their heads together to develop consensus on the name of care taker chief minister.

Thus, Nawab Raisani and his old coalition partners the JUI (F), BNP (Awami), ANP and independents were also engaged in consultation with each other regarding the future caretaker set up.

A political battle now ensues between Governor Nawab Zulfikar Magsi and Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani as both sides play their cards to bring their own blue-eyed boys as part of the caretaker set-up to oversee general elections in the restive province.