Abdul Quddus Bizenjo of Pakistan Muslim League-Q took oath of the office of Chief Minister Balochistan on Saturday. Bizenjo took oath as the Balochistan Chief Minister, less than a week after ex-CM resigned with ex-home minister Sarfraz Bugti among other lawmakers claiming that a new Chief Minister would be elected within a week. Balochistan governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai administered the oath to the new CM.
His 14-member provincial cabinet was also sworn in at a ceremony in Governor House. Bizenjo's cabinet is including Tahir Mehmood Khan, Sardar Sarfaraz Khan Domki, Nawab Changez Khan Marri, Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, Mrs Rahat Jamali, Abdul Majeed Abro, Mir Asim Kurd Giloo, Mir Amir Rind, Ghulam Dastagir Badini, Mohammad Akbar Askani, Sheikh Jaffer Khan Mandokhel, Agha Raza, Manzoor Ahmad Kakar and Prince Ahmed Ali.
Talking to the media after his election, he dismissed speculations about the dissolution of Balochistan Assembly, terming them as "mere rumours". He vowed to bring peace to the province and make efforts to alleviate reservations of disgruntled Baloch leaders. However, he warned that elements that tried to disturb the country's peace will not be spared. "Writ of the government would be ensured at all costs", he said.
Earlier, a one-to-one contest occurred between Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid's (PML-Q) Bizenjo and Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party's (PkMAP) Agha Syed Liaqat Ali after Abdul Rahim Khan Ziaratwal withdrew his candidacy. Strict security arrangements have been put in place in and around the assembly premises with pickets erected at four locations for security checking.
The session of the House was headed by Speaker Raheela Durrani. More than 50 members were present in the assembly to vote a fresh CM. In a 65-member Balochistan assembly, 41 members cast their votes in favour of Bizenjo. Governor Balochistan Jan Muhammad Achakzai administered the oath to the newly-elected chief minister.
A PML-Q MPA from Awaran, Bizenjo, had backing of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) dissident lawmakers and members from the opposition benches for the slot of the chief minister. National Party (NP), an ally of ruling of PML-N, had earlier announced not to take part in the election process. However, three of its MPAs cast their votes in favour of Bizenjo out of eleven members. On the other hand, Mehmood Khan Achakzai's Pakhtunkhwa Mili Awami Party (PkMAP), another ally of PML-N in the province, has 14 members in the house.
PkMAP's candidate Syed Liaquat Agha received 13 votes. A member of the party, Manzoor Kakar, however voted in favour of Abdul Quddus Bizenjo instead of the party candidate. The PML-Q has five members in the Assembly, while Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) eight, Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) two, Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen, Awami National Party and BNP-Awami one each.
The PML-N has 21 members in the provincial assembly, out of which 19 members said to be supported Bizenjo. On January 9, former chief minister Sanaullah Zehri stepped down from his post following mounting pressure in the wake of no-trust motion against him in the provincial assembly.
The political crisis began with Bizenjo submitting a no-confidence motion against the chief minister on January 2. A number of ministers had resigned following the motion submitted against Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri. He is the third chief minister of the province in four and-a-half years.
Abdul Quddus Bizenjo was born in Awaran on Januaray 1, 1974, and contested elections for the first time in 2002. He was elected from the PB-41 constituency. He remained Deputy Speaker from 2013-15. Bizenjo was elected as MPA from Awaran in general election of 2013 after bagging only 544 votes. It's believed that Mr Bizenjo's tally was the lowest number of votes polled by a successful candidate across the country in the elections.