QUETTA: Despite the emergence of differences between Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s parliamentary leader in the provincial assembly, Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, three more advisers have been inducted into the Jam-led six-party coalition government of Balochistan.

According to a notification issued on the orders of the governor of Balochistan, three advisers were appointed with immediate effect on the advice of the chief minister on Friday.

The new advisers are: Mir Abdul Rauf Rind of the Balochistan Awami Party, Malik Naeem Khan Bazai of the Awami National Party and Abdul Khaliq Hazara of the Hazara Democratic Party.

With the induction of the three advisers, the number of advisers in the Balochistan cabinet has risen to four. Last week 10 MPAs took the oath as ministers and one adviser was also appointed.

Of the 10 ministers, eight belong to the ruling Balochistan Awami Party and one each to the ANP and the PTI.

After the 18th Amendment any Balochistan cabinet is supposed to comprise 15 members, including the chief minister.

Differences emerge between CM, PTI provincial leadership over cabinet inductions

Chief Minister Jam Kamal has allotted portfolios to the 10 ministers and four advisers. However, some ministers have expressed their resentment as they have not been given portfolios of their choice. These ministers have not assumed charge of their departments.

“I am not satisfied with my ministry. The chief minister can take back the ministry allotted to me as I am ready to work as a minister without portfolio,” a newly appointed minister told Dawn on the condition of not being named.

On the other hand differences have cropped up between Mr Kamal and Mr Rind on the formation of the cabinet and induction of PTI ministers.

The cabinet which had taken the oath last week includes a PTI MPA, Mir Nasibullah Marri, while another MPA of the party has been elected deputy speaker of the Balochistan Assembly.

Sardar Rind has expressed anger over the induction of Mr Marri into the cabinet and claimed that he has been inducted into the cabinet without taking him (Rind) into confidence.

Mr Rind presided over a meeting of the provincial cabinet and Balochistan council of the PTI here on Friday to which divisional presidents of the party were also invited. The participants alleged that the Jam-led government was ignoring the PTI’s provincial leadership and even not consulting it while making decisions regarding the cabinet and other issues.

The party’s spokesman, Babar Yousafzai, said that the meeting observed that Chief Minister Jam Kamal was interfering in PTI affairs.

Mr Yousafzai said that it was decided in the meeting that a PTI delegation from Balochistan would meet Imran Khan and inform him about the reservations of PTI Balochistan over the attitude of the Jam government.

Meanwhile, sources said that in the meeting Mr Rind also expressed reservations about the role of the party’s senior leaders who had recently visited Quetta in connection with the election campaign of Dr Arif Alvi.

Jahangir Tareen, Governor of Sindh Imran Ismail, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Suri and other party leaders were part of the delegation.

Sardar Rind had not attended the meeting between the PTI leaders and Jam Kamal held in the Chief Minister House.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2018