Sarfraz Bugti, the former interior minister who recently joined the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has been nominated by PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari as the candidate for the Chief Minister (CM) position in Balochistan. This announcement comes ahead of the formal declaration by Zardari in the upcoming days.
The oath-taking ceremony for the newly elected Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) of Balochistan was conducted in a session presided over by Engineer Zamrud Khan. Among the 51 members who took their oaths were representatives from the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), both of which emerged as the major parties in the 65-member assembly following the February 8 elections.
The Balochistan Assembly comprises 11 reserved seats for women and three for minorities, with the PPP securing 11 seats and the PML-N holding 10 seats. On the other hand, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) have 10 and five seats, respectively.
As of now, Sarfraz Bugti is the sole nominee for the CM Balochistan position, with no other lawmakers having submitted nomination papers, according to sources. The formal announcement of Bugti’s nomination is anticipated in the coming days by Asif Ali Zardari.
