Balochistan Governor Malik Abdul Wali Khan Kakar on Saturday signed a summary sent by Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo to formally dissolve the provincial assembly.
The summary was signed just hours before the provincial assembly's term was due to end naturally upon completion of its five years.
Like the National Assembly, the Balochistan Assembly held its inaugural session on August 13, 2018, following their election in the July 25 general elections. Therefore, their five-year term was set to expire at midnight on Saturday, August 12.
Subsequently, a notification was issued by Kakar announcing the dissolution of the provincial assembly.
With the Balochistan Assembly dissolved, Chief Minister Bizenjo and the Leader of the Opposition in the Balochistan Assembly would hold talks on the caretaker setup ahead of elections.
As per the Constitution, if the assembly had completed its term, the next general elections would be held in 60 days. But if the term was concluded prematurely, even by a few hours, elections would be held in 90 days.
In this way, the Balochistan Assembly has joined the National and Sindh Assemblies.
Caretaker set up
So far, there is no consensus on the nomination of a caretaker Balochistan chief minister.
The opposition, led by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), has formed a three-member committee to finalise its names. The committee comprises opposition leader Malik Sikandar Advocate, the party's Balochistan Amir Maulana Abdul Wasey and provincial Assembly member Mir Younas Aziz Zehri.
The ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) has yet to form any committee to deliberate on names for the caretaker slot. However, sources suggest that BAP will likely nominate Mir Hamal Kalmati as its candidate.
Apart from Kalmati, Mir Naseer Bizenjo and Senator Kuhda Babar are said to be in the running.
Other names doing the rounds include Mir Behroz Regi and Dr Faiz Kakar.
A final announcement of the caretaker chief minister is expected over the next few days after JUI Balochistan Amir Maulana Abdul Wasey arrived in Quetta to take up the matter with Bizenjo.