Balochistan Assembly finally gets an “Opposition”

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: The days for Chief Minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani remaining the uncrowned king of the Balochistan Assembly are finally over as the epoch of all MPAs supporting the chief minister and the provincial government is on the verge of closure.

Pir Abdul Qadir Gilani, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Quaid-e-Azam), has finally announced to become the leader of the opposition inside the Balochistan Assembly which has remained devoid of any opposition leader since its election two and half years ago. Gilani, who is the son-in-law of former chief minister Balochistan Jam Mir Mohammad Yousaf, said he had submitted a formal request to the Balochistan Assembly secretariat to appoint him as the leader of the opposition but the letter had not been officially received yet due to the absence of the assembly staff.

Previously, former federal minister Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind of the PML-Q was the only MPA opposing Chief Minister Nawab Raisani. However, Rind has not attended any sessions of the Balochistan Assembly except for the first one due to undisclosed reasons.

Gilani said he enjoyed the support of Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind, Mir Bakhtiyar Domki and former law and parliamentary affairs minister Ms. Rubina Irfan.

“Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind has agreed to withdraw his letter for being nominated as the leader of the opposition,” said Gilani who clarified that he had no intentions to desterilize the provincial government in Quetta.

“We will serve as a healthy opposition inside the Balochistan Assembly. We will appreciate the good steps taken by the government and criticize the wrong policies,” he said, pointing out that the provincial government had utterly failed to form standing committees of the Balochistan Assembly two and half years after its election which showed a clear lack of interest by the provincial government towards the settlement of the public issues.

When asked about his recent differences with Balochistan Assembly Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhoothani, he said all the differences were political not personal. He added that he was prepared to face Bhoothani inside the court in the wake of latter’s decision to move the court by filing a defamation case. Gilani had charged Bhoothani of arms smuggling.