QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch rejected on Saturday a demand by the opposition that he should seek a fresh vote of confidence.

Mr Baloch, a leader of the National Party, became the chief minister after his NP and some other political parties joined hands after last year’s elections to form a coalition government in the province.

He was talking to reporters after an assembly session held with Deputy Speaker Abdul Quddoos Bizenjo in the chair to discuss the law and order situation in the province.

The session was requisitioned by 19 members of the PML-N, PML-Q, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl and the Awami National Party, inclu­­ding the deputy speaker.

The Leader of Opposition in the Balochistan Assembly, Maulana Abdul Wasey, said that the chief minister had lost confidence of the house because he was no more supported by two of the coalition partners, the PML-N and the PML-Q. Therefore, he should seek a fresh vote of confidence from the house.

But Dr Malik told reporters that contrary to the situation described by Maulana Wasey, he still had support of the legislators of the PML-N and PML-Q.

“I will remain chief minister till I continue to be supported by the coalition partners and quit the office the moment I feel that I have lost their trust,” he said.

In reply to a question, he said that reservations of the opposition and some other members of the assembly about law and order situation would be addressed in the house.

“We will tell them about the steps taken by the government to improve the situation and invite them to analyse the results.”

He said that that the government’s efforts to improve law and order situation had yielded positive results and it would be proved on the floor of the house.

Answering another question, he said that difference of opinion among the coalition partners was not a new phenomenon. Such issues cropped up from time to time and could be resolved through negotiations, he added.

Published in Dawn, November 30th , 2014