Balochistan C.M. Jam Kamal Khan
Accusing BAP leader of failing to improve conditions in the province, lawmakers call for his ouster and a new election to pick his replacement
Several members of the Balochistan Assembly, including lawmakers of the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and its allies, on Monday submitted a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani.
Signed by 14 lawmakers, the motion maintains that the chief minister had been repeatedly informed of the issues facing Balochistan, but he had not paid them any heed. It says that during the past three years, Alyani’s leadership has failed to stem rampant unemployment, unrest, and frustration in the province.
“Due to Jam Kamal’s lukewarm attitude, there has been gas, water, electricity, and economic crisis in [Balochistan],” it says, adding that Alyani should be ousted as the chief minister and an election called for a new chief minister that enjoyed the majority’s support.
This is not the first time a no-confidence motion against Alyani has been submitted to the Governor House Secretariat. On Sept. 14, 16 opposition MPAs from the Balochistan Assembly had moved a similar no-confidence motion but it was denied by the Secretariat on technical grounds. The new motion includes members of Alyani’s own BAP, making it a far more pressing concern for the Balochistan government.
Despite the calls for his ouster, Alyani has maintained that he would not resign on the call of a “few” people. Speaking to media last week, he claimed that the majority of BAP lawmakers and their allies still supported him, adding that some of his colleagues had tried to get him ousted earlier and he would not allow this “void” to persist within the party.
On the matter of several of his cabinet members resigning in protest over his continued role as chief minister, he said the party was working to convince them to withdraw their resignations. “If they don’t take their resignations back, we would have to appoint new ministers,” he added.