Legislators attribute the delay to the Senate’s upcoming elections in April. Members of Provincial Assemblies (MPAs) will elect senators for a total of 11 seats. The Chief Minister of Balochistan recently took office oath earlier this month.
Quetta, it has been 19 days since Balochistan’s Chief Minister, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, was sworn in; however, he has not established a cabinet to efficiently manage the provincial matters.
In relation to this, the province’s top official declared that an additional two weeks are needed to establish the cabinet. The province, facing uncertainty, is still without a cabinet due to the connection between the delay in its formation and the Senate’s April 2nd elections. It is worth mentioning that during the first session of the provincial legislative, held on February 28th, Zamrak Khan Achakzai administered the oath to 57 lawmakers.
Among those who took the oath were representatives from various political parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), and others.
Bugti, unopposed in securing the prestigious Chief Minister position, took office on March 2nd, confronting multi-faceted challenges as the province continues to suffer greatly from terrorism’s effects.
Concurrently, Senate elections are scheduled for the upcoming month, with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) planning to release an updated list of candidates on the 26th of this month. Aspiring candidates had until March 17th to withdraw their nomination papers.
It is essential to note that 52 positions in the upper house of parliament will become vacant upon the completion of the 6-year term for the current Senators on Tuesday. Despite this, elections will take place to select 48 Senators, as the 4 reserved seats previously designated for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) have been abolished following the 25th Constitutional amendment.
Voting will take place to select representatives for seven general positions, two of which are reserved for women, and two seats designated for technocrats and Ulema. Additionally, one seat will be allocated for non-Muslims, with candidates hailing from both Sindh and Punjab provinces.
Furthermore, legislators representing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan will choose representatives for seven general positions, two women, and two seats designated for technocrats, including Ulema.
Additionally, the National Assembly members will vote for one general seat and one technocrat seat, including Ulema, specifically for the federal capital.
