QUETTA: Members of the opposition in the Balochistan Assembly on Tuesday submitted a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani.

Officials of the Balochistan Assembly secretariat confirmed that opposition members had submitted the no-trust motion.

Sources said 16 members from the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) signed the motion.

The signatures of 16 members were required for submitting the no-trust motion.

Parliamentary leader of BNP-M in the Balochistan Assembly Malik Naseer Ahmed Shahwani submitted the motion.

“We have the numbers required for getting the no-confidence motion passed,” Mr Shahwani claimed, adding that members from the other side would also support the motion when it would come to the floor of the house.

After submission of the no-trust motion, the speaker is bound to summon the assembly session within seven days to take it up for discussion.

The opposition has 24 members in the house of 65 while the ruling coalition enjoys the support of 41 members belonging to the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, BNP-Awami, Hazara Democratic Party, Awami National Party and Jamhoori Watan Party.

Chief Minister Jam Kamal, who is also the president of BAP, is facing opposition from within his own party over some issues, especially ministers’ powers of posting and transfers and allocation of development funds.

Sardar Mohammad Saleh Bhootani, who was local bodies minister, had resigned due to differences with the chief minister.

PTI’s parliamentary leader in the assembly Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind had also submitted his resignation two months ago as minister for higher education after making a fiery speech on the floor of the house over differences with the chief minister.

Mr Rind, however, agreed to resume office early this month with some conditions about the education department after the governor did not accept his resignation.

The no-trust motion is based on four allegations, including poor governance in the last three years. It also alleges that severe frustration, unrest, unemployment and institutional performance have severely affected Balochistan in violation of Articles 37 and 38 of the Constitution.

The motion claims the Alyani government presented a biased development budget which served to increase backwardness, deprivation and unrest in some areas. In Balochistan, people are protesting every day due to killings, kidnappings, thefts, robberies and terrorism and a sense of insecurity, it adds.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2021