QUETTA: The Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) on Wednesday failed to nominate a consensus candidate for the slot of provincial chief minister as differences surfaced within the party over the nomination of Jam Kamal Khan Alyani by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen in Islamabad a day earlier.

Opposing the nomination of Mr Kamal, Balochistan president of the PTI Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind said: “It was the right of the provincial parliamentary party and the party’s chairman to take decisions on such issues. We cannot allow anyone to use this right.”

He said it was decided in a meeting with PTI chairman Imran Khan that the BAP would extend its support to the PTI in the formation of government at the federal level and the PTI would support the BAP and its allies in forming a coalition government in Balochistan.

Imran calls a meeting of PTI’s MNAs- and MPAs-elect from province today

“No decision of nominating a candidate for the post of chief minister was taken in the meeting,” he claimed.

PTI chairman Imran Khan has convened a meeting of his party’s MNAs- and MPAs-elect from Balochistan on Thursday.

Balochistan National Party-Mengal president Akhtar Mengal along with other party leaders reached Islamabad on Wednesday. He is likely to meet Mr Khan during his stay in the federal capital.

Differences were also reported within the BAP over the nomination of Jam Kamal. Some members-elect supported Mr Rind’s stance and said that the BAP was formed to take all decisions regarding Balochistan in the province.

At least four other MPAs-elect were also candidates for the post of CM. The names of Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, Jan Mohammad Jamali, Saleh Bhootani and Tariq Hussain Magsi were circulating in the provincial capital. Mr Bizenjo, a former chief minister of Balochistan, also expressed his reservation over the nomination of Mr Alyani in Islamabad.

“The BAP was formed to take all decisions about Balochistan in the province,” Mr Bizenjo said, adding that any decision about Balochistan taken in Islamabad was not acceptable.

There are reports that Mr Bizenjo, Jan Jamali and Tariq Magsi had a meeting with Akhtar Mengal two days ago in Quetta. Some sources claimed that they had discussed the formation of the coalition government and assured Mr Mengal of their support in his efforts with the help of like-minded allies.

However, sources in the BAP did not confirm that its MPAs-elect had assured Mr Mengal of their support for the formation of the government, excluding their party. They said that the former CM along with Mr Jan Jamal and Tariq Magsi had met Mr Mengal to congratulate him on winning the election.

The BNP-M negotiation committee was in contact with other parties and it had a meeting with the provincial leadership of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal in Quetta.

“We discussed formation of the next government in Balochistan and MMA’s response was positive,” the sources said.

The BAP, which is enjoying the support of the Awami National Party, PTI and Hazara Democratic Party with 30 MPAs in a house of 51 members, is also likely to get the support of the Jamhoori Watan Party.

JWP president Shahzain Bugti was elected an MNA and his brother Gohram Bugti was elected to the provincial assembly.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2018