Sarfraz Bugti elected Balochistan CM

QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly on Saturday elected Sarfraz Bugti as the new chief minister with 41 votes cast in his favour while four lawmakers skipped the voting.

Bugti, who has been elected as the Leader of the House unopposed, is now set to take the oath today at the Governor House where his swearing-in ceremony will be held at 3pm.

Balochistan Governor Abdul Wali Kakar will administer the oath to the newly-elected chief minister.

Bugti submitted his nomination papers before the deadline's end on Friday after his party's Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari named him as their CM nominee.

He is also supported by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, including Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri, and Sardar Sarfaraz Chakar Domki

Bugti resigned as the caretaker interior minister in December last year and joined the Bilawal-led party.

Ahead of his election today, Bugti has pledged to take all the parties on board for development and prosperity in Balochistan and launch efforts to improve governance as well as resolve other issues.

Talking to journalists in the Balochistan Assembly after submitting his nomination papers on Friday, he said the PPP believed in dialogue and always resolved issues through negotiations.

He appealed to the disgruntled people to join the mainstream and play their role in the development of the country.

The chief minister emphasised the need for talks with the opposition parties for the development of the province. He said positive criticism would be welcomed and urged that destructive politics be avoided in the broader interest of the country.

Bugti said a consensus would be developed with the opposition to bring Balochistan forward and his door would always be open for talks. He said a roadmap would be shared for sustainable development and resolving the common challenges of the province. The chief minister said he had no idea of the two-and-a-half-year government formula.

He thanked the PPP chairman and co-chairman for nominating him for the chief minister’s slot.