Born on July 5, 1965, Lashkari Raisani hails from Balochistan province’s Sarawan region. He is a member of the Raisani tribe and is the younger brother of former Balochistan chief minister and the tribe’s chief Aslam Raisani.

Now a member of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), Lashkari was previously elected as a PPP MPA in Balochistan Assembly. Lashkari also served as president of Pakistan Peoples Party’s Balochistan chapter, a position on which he was appointed in 2003 by former PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto. He, however, resigned as PPP’s provincial head in 2010 following a rift within the party ranks in Balochistan.

Lashkari was also a member of the Senate from which he resigned in April 2012 along with ending his nine-year-long association with PPP over, what he called, failure of the federal and provincial governments to improve the security situation in Balochistan.

Nearly a year later, Lashkari joined PPP’s rival PML-N, along with a group of 22 politicians.

Some political analysts believe Aslam, and not Lashkari, holds sway over the Raisani tribe, one of the major clans in Balochistan, and his joining of PML-N has only a symbolic importance. But the situation may change altogether if Aslam supports his younger brother’s move.

— Research and text by Imran Kazmi