QUETTA: BNP-M President Sardar Akhtar Mengal has predicted that the new government will collapse within one and a half years as people have not given majority to any party in the recent elections.

In a video message issued on Thursday, Mr Mengal said, “The new government comprising two to three parties could not be run for more than one and a half years.”

In view of the past experience of coalition governments one can say that coalition partners will blackmail each other as happened in the past, he pointed out.

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Mr Mengal said he and his party had not been contacted by anyone on the issue of the government formation. However, he added, his party will take any decision in this regard keeping in mind its past experience.

Result of elected candidates changed to deprive them of victory, BNP-M meeting told

Meanwhile, the central cabinet of BNP, at a meeting in Wadh observed that massive rigging in the Feb 8 elections had made the entire election process controversial against which entire Balochistan was protesting.

The meeting, presided over by Mr Mengal, reviewed the situation obtaining after the Feb 8 elections and termed it worst in the history of Balochistan that had forced political parties to take to the streets across the province against rigging which was done through change of results in favour of “selected” candidates.

The meeting alleged that millions of rupees were used for tempering the results in favour of selected candidates who themselves were not sure about winning the election.

“The real political and enlightened forces were defeated under a well-planned conspiracy, which is not acceptable to the nationalist parties,” the meeting decided.

It was emphasised that the manipulation of results had undermined democracy and will have negative effects on democratic institutions.

The manipulation of election results has proved to be “the last nail in the coffin of democracy”. The people of Balochistan have lost trust in democracy and democratic institutions, the meeting was informed.

The meeting stressed that the Balochistan National Party had consistently advocated for transparency in elections and called for building transparency before elections.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2024