QUETTA, May 23: Five ministers in Balochistan’s cabinet and six MPAs, all belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League, on Monday announced forming a separate group and pledged efforts to restore their party’s status as the senior partner in the coalition with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and the Balochistan National Party (Awami).

The PML members discussed at length the MMA’s attitude towards the PML and expressed dissatisfaction over it.

The meeting that continued for several hours observed that since the formation of the government two and a half years ago the MMA had not taken members of other coalition partners into confidence on issues like distribution of development funds and projects.

“This situation can affect the PML’s position in the coming local bodies polls and next general elections in the province,” said Mir Jan Mohammad Khan Jamali, a former chief minister, at the meeting.

Later, Mr Jamali and Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhel told reporters the meeting had decided to make efforts for restoring the PML to its status as the senior partner in the coalition and in the running of the government affairs. They emphasized that the PML ministers and MPAs should not be ignored in the distribution of development funds, approval of uplift schemes in their constituencies, and posting, transfer and recruitment in government departments.

Dispelling the impression created by remarks from an MMA minister, they made it clear that their move was not against Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf or the party. They said the MMA had no right to interfere in the PML affairs.

They pointed out that in the last three provincial budgets the MMA and the BNP (Awami) had been the main beneficiaries against the PML whose members had been ignored in the allocation of development funds and finalization of the Public Sector Development Programme.

“We are not ready to tolerate this situation any more,” the PML members said and added that Syed Sher Jan Baloch, a provincial minister, had submitted his resignation against such complaints.

The PML leaders criticized the deteriorating law and order situation in the province. PML ministers Mir Abdul Rehman Jamali, Sardar Masood Luni, Nasreen Khetran, Col (retd) Younus Changezi and Syed Sher Jan Baloch and MPAs Mir Jan Mohammad Jamali, Jaffar Khan Mandokhel, Shah Zaman Rind, Nawabzada Tariq Ali Magsi, Robina Irfan and Dr Ruqaia Hashmi attended the meeting.