Comment: PML-QA seeks deal with Bugti

The Pakistan Muslim League-QA group yesterday stepped up its efforts to woo Nawab Akbar Bugti, the Baloch tribal chief, as formation of the next government remained caught in increasing uncertainty.

Senior PML-QA leaders confirmed that Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the PML-QA nominee for prime minister, travelled to Quetta to meet Bugti to seek the support of his lone member of parliament at the centre and a handful of members in the provincial legislature.

"It seems there has been no breakthrough. Nawab Bugti said, he would much rather go with the ARD (Alliance for Restoration of Democracy)" said a PML-QA leader last night.

News of the Quetta visit coincided with increasing speculation that the session of the next parliament, due to begin on Friday, may be delayed, with General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's military ruler, seeking to give more time to parliamentarians to cobble a new coalition government.

"Under these circumstances a session cannot go ahead as planned on Friday" said the PML-QA leader. "The delay is largely because a coalition that could rule is just not coming together," he said.

Yesterday's news from Quetta also appeared to have implications for the formation of the next government in Balochistan, politicians warned. The MMA in the province is still short of a handful of supporters to form the next government as it stands in the second place behind the PML-QA grouping.

But MMA leaders in Islamabad said they were hoping for Nawab Bugti's supporters to join their group at the provincial level in Balochistan to form the next provincial government.

"If we get Nawab Bugti's votes, we would be in a position to form the provincial government," said one leader.
"The delay in the new parliament, however, could find still more parties changing sides in coming days," he added.