QUETTA: Balochistan’s Provincial Food Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker, Noor Muhammad Dummar, revealed that the PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have agreed on a power-sharing formula for forming the provincial government.
Speaking to the media after the Balochistan Assembly session, Dummar said that under the agreement, Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti will serve for the first two and a half years, after which the possibility of a change in leadership exists.
Dummar revealed that PML-N’s central leadership informed him of the arrangement and also discussed the formula in high-level party meetings. He added that the agreement exists in written form with the party leadership, though its implementation remains a separate matter.
When asked about the party’s future candidate for chief minister, Dummar said that PML-N’s leadership will decide while keeping the province’s best interests in mind. He stressed that any name put forward would reflect the collective will of the party and serve Balochistan’s welfare.
Rift in Balochistan coalition govt
Earlier this week, reports emerged that the coalition government in Balochistan, led by Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), is showing visible cracks only a year and a half into its tenure.
PPP’s own leaders have gone public with grievances. Provincial minister Mir Ali Hassan Zehri, elected from Hub, openly criticised Bugti during a ceremony in Winder. He accused the chief minister of ruining PPP’s reputation, sidelining workers, and playing a “double game” by presenting himself as both PML-N’s and PPP’s chief minister. Zehri, considered close to President Asif Ali Zardari, had earlier raised objections right after taking oath, but party leadership had reconciled the differences. His latest remarks have reignited tensions.
Another PPP figure, parliamentary secretary for transport Mir Liaquat Lehri, blasted the government during an assembly session. He said unemployment had spread from Chaman to Gwadar, shopkeepers could not pay rent, and the transport sector was collapsing. “I am a minister myself, yet I feel powerless to solve public issues,” he told lawmakers. Lehri later alleged he was facing retaliation for his speech.
The ruling coalition’s biggest partner, PML-N, also expressed discontent. Nawab Changez Marri announced he would fully support a no-confidence motion if one is brought against Chief Minister Bugti.
Balochistan’s Provincial Minister for Planning and Development, Mir Zahoor Buledi, however, dismissed speculations of differences within the coalition government, saying that Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti is performing his duties with dedication and commitment.
