QUETTA: The Balochis­tan political crisis deepened on Monday as disgruntled lawmakers of the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and allied parties closed the door on any reconciliation by submitting a no-trust motion against Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani to the provincial assembly secretariat.

The no-trust motion was signed by 14 angry members of the BAP and allied parties, including BAP Chief Organiser Mir Jan Mohammad Jamali, Mir Naseebullah Khan Marri of the PTI, who was sacked as health minister by the CM two years ago, Mir Asadullah Khan Baloch of the BNP-Awami and Laila Tareen of the ANP.

Others who signed the no-trust motion include Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, Sardar Mohammad Saleh Bhootani, Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetiran, Haji Mohammad Khan Lehri, Bushra Rind, Mahjabeen Sheeran, Mir Sikandar Umrani, Lala Rashid Baloch, and Haji Akbar Askani.

The founder of the BAP, Senator Saeed Ahmed Hashmi, was also present when the no-trust motion was submitted to the assembly secretary. He said that the angry group of parliamentarian had taken this decision after Mr Alyani had refused to resign.

14 members of Balochistan Assembly have signed the motion

A coordinator of the chief minister, Mir Rauf Rind, was also present o the occasion.

Zahoor Buledi said that Mr Alyani had lost support of majority in the house and had no moral ground to remain in office. He urged the Balochistan Assembly speaker to convene an assembly session as soon as possible.

After submitting the no-trust motion, the angry members of the BAP and allied parties asked Mr Alyani to step down to avoid the no-confidence motion filed against him.

“Resigning from the CM office is a respectable way to save the BAP from disintegration,” Asad Baloch said.

PTI was not loyal to an individual but an ally of the BAP,” Naseebullah Marri said.

Zahoor Buledi, who had recently resigned as finance minister from the Alyani-led cabinet, said the province was facing a political crisis for the last one month due to refusal of the chief minister to resign. He said that Mr Alyani deepened the crisis by turning down request of 12 members of his party about his resignation, which pave the way for 14 members of the assembly to move no-trust motion against him.

Mr Buledi said Mr Alyani himself has admitted to the media that he was enjoying support of 24 members and after his confession he had no right to remain in the government.

Mr Buledi called upon the governor of Balochistan to convene an assembly session and give the legislature a chance to elect a new leader of the house.

Abdul Rehman Khetiran, a former member of Alyani-led cabinet, said that the CM was a towering tribal figure and they all respected him but due to various reasons it was not possible for them to support him as the leader of the house in the assembly.

Asad Baloch said that they were moving forward under a constitutional and legal process in phases. In the first phase all angry members resigned from their offices and in the second phase moved the no-trust motion.

He said that the basic principle was that the individual was sacrificed for the larger interest. “Jam Kamal Khan has become an individual. Balochistan Awami Party is united in its place.”

He said that the counting of the assembly members should not be distorted (during the vote on no-confidence motion”. “The number of members of the assembly is 41, not 65,” he insisted.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2021