QUETTA: Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani, who also heads the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), has said that a no-confidence motion planned by the opposition parties against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani will increase the sense of deprivation among the people of his province.

Read: Opposition leaders reach consensus on removal of Senate chairman 'through lawful means'

Talking to journalists after administering the oath to the newly-elected office-bearers of the Quetta Press Club here on Friday evening, he said that there were rumours about removing Sadiq Sanjrani from the chairmanship of the Senate.

He urged all political parties to honour the representation of Balochistan in the Senate as its chairman was a symbol of the federation.

Mr Alyani said the replacement of the Senate chairman was not removal of a councilor or a chief minister and it should not be made a joke.

Former chief minister and deputy chairman of the Senate Jan Mohammad Jamali, Balochistan Finance Minister Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, Zamarak Khan Piralizai and MPA Lala Rasheed Jan were also present on the occasion.

Alyani says the move will increase the sense of deprivation among the people of Balochistan

The BAP chief said that opposition parties, particularly Pakistan Peoples Party, played a positive role in electing Sadiq Sanjrani as Senate chairman and after a lengthy discussion and consultation his name was finalised keeping in view the backwardness of Balochistan.

“We will make all-out efforts that it should be not done as Balochistan got very few opportunities to have such prestigious office at the federal level so the opposition parties should take a decision rising above politics,” he said.

Mr Alyani expressed the hope that the political parties from Balochistan would adopt a positive stance on this important issue.

“We can have relations or alliance with any party, but we always show unity on the issues of Balochistan,” he said.

He said Balochistan was moving towards a new direction and Pakistan’s future was linked with this province so in this situation no such adventure should be done that could harm the country.

In reply to a question, Mr Alyani refuted rumours about removal of Prime Minister Imran Khan and said that Mr Khan was taking the country in the right direction.

He demanded an investigation into the spending of huge amounts Balochistan had received under the National Finance Commission Awards. He said without accountability society could not move forward.

Earlier, Chief Minister Jam Kamal Alyani announced that the issue of allotting land for Media Colony would be resolved soon. He doubled annual grant of the Quetta Press Club to Rs20 million and promised to increase the amount of journalists’ welfare funds to Rs300m.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2019