QUETTA: Reacting to rumours regarding his resignation, Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Saturday clarified that he hasn’t stepped down from the position and that rumours about his resignation were fake.
Kamal wrote on Twitter: “I have not resigned and such rumours [should] not be spread.”
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Balochistan Governor House said Khan’s resignation has not been received, while spokesperson of the Balochistan government Liaquat Shahwani said that the news about the resignation “is not true”.
Khan, on Friday night, had claimed that out of the 41 members of the Balochistan Assembly, 80% stand with him in opposition to the no-confidence motion moved against him two days prior.
Taking to Twitter, Khan claimed 80% of coalition lawmakers in the provincial assembly — including from BAP, PTI, ANP, ADP, JWP, PPP, Azad, and BNP-A — support him.
“Why do we count the Opposition as part of this coalition? If they stick to this policy, then they should announce themselves as part of the Opposition too,” CM Khan wrote.
It should be recalled that on Wednesday, out of the 65 lawmakers present in the assembly, 33 had backed holding a vote of no confidence against CM Khan.
Addressing the assembly session, BAP spokesperson Abdul Rehman Khetran had demanded the release of five “missing” lawmakers with immediate effect and said that the assembly has lost its confidence in the chief minister.
“We demand Jam Kamal immediately step down from the post of the chief minister,” Khetran had said. “Due to his poor governance, the province has had to witness hopelessness, disrepute, and unemployment, while the performance of different departments was also adversely affected.”
Khetran further said that CM Khan, “assuming that he is the wisest of all, had been taking all decisions related to the province on his own”.
“Running important matters without consultation has caused irreparable damage to the province,” Khetaran maintained, adding that owing to that, assembly members demand Jam Kamal step down from his post.
Meanwhile, the four MPAs belonging to rebel group resurfaced in federal capital and vowed to stand by rebel group, saying they had visited capital city for private affairs. They later returned to Quetta on Saturday, vowing to vote against Jam Kamal Khan.
Leader of the Opposition in Balochistan Assembly Malik Sikandar Advocate, while expressing his views, said that the post of the chief executive is very important as it requires the incumbent to work tirelessly for the welfare of the people.
“The chief executive is also required to solve the problems of the masses while being on the frontline,” Sikandar said, adding that the incumbent is also expected to protect the national exchequer.
“The incumbent must also be able to utilise the national exchequer for the welfare of the masses as per a sound strategy. The responsibility of protecting the constitutional and legal rights of the people is also included in the duties of the chief executive,” Sikandar said.
The leader of the opposition in the provincial assembly went on to say that the situation related to Sui gas in the province is suspicious because gas supply to the colder regions of the province is deliberately cut off.
“When the chief executive does not pay attention to such important issues, how will people trust him?” Sikandar questioned.
The law and order situation in the province is such that no one’s life, property, or honour is safe, Sikandar said further, adding that people end up displaying the dead bodies of their loved ones outside the house of the chief executive to compel him to take action.
“There is no justice in the province and the use of resources is not carried out responsibly. Therefore, Jam Kamal has no right to continue as the chief minister of the province,” Sikandar concluded his speech by saying.
Following Sikandar, Balochistan National Party (BNP) leader, Sanaullah Baloch expressed his views on the no-confidence motion and said that under the rule of CM Jam Kamal, “major corruption has taken place in Quetta Development Package as well as the fisheries sector”.
“Insurgency was supposed to be reduced in Balochistan but the opposite happened and it saw a surge,” Baloch said, adding that the charge sheet against CM Jam Kamal is “very long”.
“Water, roads, and education projects in the province have been dedicated to Kamal’s favourite people,” Baloch alleged. “In my constituency, for instance, not a single project related to education was initiated.”
“You have brought Balochistan on the verge of destruction but while you were in power, you did not employ efforts to make a place in the hearts of the people,” Baloch said.
“How can we expect a person who does not reconcile with his own party members, to reconcile with disgruntled ones?” he said. “It is not the mistrust of the Opposition against Jam Kamal, but it is the mistrust of the people towards him.”
“As a brother, I am advising you to resign from your post,” Baloch said.
