QUETTA: Mir Ali Mardan Domki was sworn in as the eighth interim chief minister of Balochistan on Friday soon after his nomination for the coveted slot was approved by the parliamentary committee.

Balochistan Governor Malik Abdul Wali Khan Kakar administered the oath to Mr Domki at a ceremony held at Governor House.

Mr Domki’s nomination was approved by the parliamentary committee, which was notified by Speaker Jan Muhammad Jamali on Thursday evening, after consensus was reached among its members and with the green signal from outgoing CM Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo.

It may be noted that initially Mr Bizenjo had refused to sign the summary when the name of Mr Domki was presented for the CM by the opposition leader and former CM Jam Kamal Khan on Wednesday. The matter was then referred to the parliamentary committee, which was notified by the speaker the following day after objections were raised on the representation of two other opposition parties and inclusion of Mr Bizenjo’s name among the government nominees.

The committee, which convened on Thursday night, adjourned without reaching a consensus on a single candidate.

However, sources said, efforts continued for selecting a consensus candidate.

“The committee’s negotiations with Mr Bizenjo succeeded in the wee hours of Friday and he agreed at Mr Domki’s name as the consensus candidate for the slot of interim chief minister,” a senior official told Dawn.

The summary for the appointment of the interim chief minister was sent to the governor on Friday. The governor approved it and scheduled the oath-taking ceremony.

Meanwhile, Mr Bizenjo said he had no reservations over the appointment of Mr Domki as interim CM.

In a statement on Friday night, the ex-CM said he neither had any complaints about JUI-F nor any other institution or political party and that he had accepted the decision of the parliamentary committee.

“Everything has happened according to the will of Allah,” he said and expressed the hope that Mr Domki’s appointment will be beneficial for the province.

Domki on polls

Upon taking office, the interim CM said that giving a date for elections and conducting them was the job of the Election Commission of Pakistan, while it is “our responsibility to ensure free, fair and transparent elections”.

“I am hopeful elections will be held on time,” he said during a media talk.

When asked about his priorities, he said law and order situation needed to be handled over and above everything and added that he will utilise all his abilities to improve the law and order situation.

Responding to queries about negotiating with angry Baloch elements, the caretaker CM said, “If someone wants to hold talks for the betterment of Balochistan then we are ready for it as they are our brothers… We will try to establish contact and hold negotiation with them and they should come back to their own country.”

The oath-taking ceremony was attended by Interior Minister Mir Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti, Jam Kamal Khan, Sardar Saleh Bhootani, ex-home minister Ziaullah Langove, Noor Muhammad Dummar, former federal minister Mir Israrullah Zehri and a large number of tribal elders and senior government officials.

Profile

Mr Domki has no affiliations with any political party, though he comes from a political family. He is the grandson of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, who served as federal interior minister, governor, and chief minister of Balochistan and established his own political party, Jamhoori Watan Party.

Mr Domki’s father, Mir Hazoor Bakhsh Domki, was an elected member of the first Senate of Pakistan formed after the 1970 election.

His paternal uncle, Sardar Chakar Khan Domki, was elected a member of the first Balochistan Assembly by defeating ex-PM Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali in the 1970 elections. Sardar Domki served as a provincial minister, and his younger brother, Mir Nabi Bakhsh Domki, was also a member of the upper house.

Mr Domki, born in 1972 and hailing from Lehri area of Sibi district, earned his M.Sc in Sociology from Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad. He served as the tehsil nazim lehri from 2002 to 2005 and was the district nazim of Sibi for five years, from 2005 to 2010.

Mir Dostain Khan Domki, the younger brother of Mr Domki, was a member of the National Assembly and served as a minister of state.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2023