Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif and the high command of his party decided to nominate National Party (NP) chief Dr Abdul Malik Baloch as the Balochistan chief minister (CM) on Saturday.
Baloch has been elected in the Balochistan Assembly three times, and has also served as a senator for six years in Islamabad. He was a member of the cabinet during Nawab Akbar Bugti’s reign as chief minister, served as the education minister.
Baloch’s name for the slot of chief minister has been proposed by Mehmood Achakzai, the chief of the Pukhtukhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP). “We have decided in principle to support Dr Malik as the chief minister of Balochistan,” PkMAP Central Secretary Akram Shah said. He said Achakzai had made it clear before PML-N leaders and former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif that PkMAP was backing Dr Baloch as chief executive for the province.
NP and PkMAP enjoy support of 18 members out of 51 general assembly seats. With support of PML-N, which has 14 members, Dr Malik can easily be elected as leader of the house.
The decision is being thought of as a positive move towards normalising the situation in the crises-hit Balochistan, which has been plagued by sectarianism, terrorism and an insurgency continuing for over 12 years now.
The need of the hour for Balochistan is a non-controversial, unarmed and middle class Baloch leader to win the ‘hearts and minds’ of the people – and Dr Baloch seems to be the right candidate in this regard.
The move to nominate Dr Baloch as CM is also considered a positive because if it wanted, the PML-N could have formed the provincial government in Balochistan without the support of NP and PkMAP – since many independent politicians were ready to extend their support to the party.
Dr Baloch will not be able to abridge the existing gulf between the Baloch people and Islamabad overnight, however. But being a political worker, he understands the complexities and sensitivities of politics and the situation in insurgency-hit Balochistan. The NP chief can play a constructive role in bringing to end the unrest in the volatile province.
Dr Baloch can also convince the ruling PML-N to take confidence-building measures to restore the lost confidence of the Baloch people. As promised by his party, the recovery of missing persons and ‘kill and dump’ operations need to be put to rest immediately. While the internally displaced Marri and Bugti tribesmen must also be rehabilitated without further ado.
What is hoped of Dr Baloch is that he will be able to strengthen the middle class Baloch community and perhaps weaken the grip of strong tribal chieftains.
