QUETTA: As negotiations for inducting the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) as a coa­­lition partner into the Balo­chistan cabinet entered the final stage, Chief Minis­ter Mir Abdul Qudoos Bize­njo on Saturday said no minister or adviser would be rem­oved from the cabinet and JUI-F would be adjusted in the cab­inet according to its strength.

Mr Bizenjo spent a hectic day having a series of meetings with MPAs from the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), leaders of the JUI-F and other parties having representation in the provincial assembly.

The chief minister went to the residence of JUI-F pro­vincial head Maulana Abdul Wasay and discussed his par­ty’s induction into the cabinet. Sources said the JUI-F leader informed the CM that the JUI-F was ready to join the government, with conditions related to number of ministries and portfolios.

Maulana Wasay said after the meeting, “Our meeting was held on the desire of the chief minister in which Mr Bizenjo sought two days to finalise the issue.”

He said the situation would be clear till Monday. However, he added, the JUI-F would not compromise on principles. “JUI-F will continue serving the people of the province either in the opposition or in the government,” he remarked.

Later, in a media talk, the CM refuted the impression that the ruling BAP had differences over induction of the JUI-F in the cabinet and said that he enjoyed the confidence of other party members on the issue of making JUI-F part of the cabinet.

After visiting the Balochistan Institute of Nephrology and Urology, the CM told the media that he had invited the JUI-F to join the coalition government in the province. “They should come and join the cabinet as he was elected leader of the house unopposed by all political parties, so the JUI-F also has a role in the government and it is better that they should join the government,” he explained.

Mr Bizenjo said he would not remove any minister or adviser but at the same time he said that the BAP leaders would ‘definitely render sacrifice’ to bring all parties on one page in the larger interest of the province and better governance.

The chief minister had also invited Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) to join the government in a meeting with Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal but he declined to accept the offer. The BNP-M sitting on the treasury benches had played a vital role in ouster of the Jam-led coalition government in Balochistan and had very cordial relations with the Bizenjo-led ruling coalition.

The party sources said the CM had also visited the residence of former minister Nawabzada Tariq Hussain Mangi of the BAP and discussed with him the proposed induction of JUI-F in the six-party coalition government in the province.

Two ex-ministers of the Jam Kamal cabinet, Saleem Ahmed Khosa and Mir Arif Jan Mohammad Hasni - who were not included in the Bizenjo-led cabinet - also attended the meeting.

The chief minister also visited the residence of the BAP MNA Ehsanullah Reki.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2022