QUETTA, Feb 27: Syed Ehsan Shah of the Balochistan National Party-Awami, who has been selected by the party as its leader in the provincial assembly, is a candidate for the post of chief minister. A committee has been formed to seek support of PML-Q, JUI-F and independent legislators.

This was announced at a press conference here on Wednesday by the BNP-A chief, Senator Mir Israrullah Zehri. He welcomed the appointment of Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi as governor and praised President Pervez Musharraf’s policies about Balochistan, including the launching of mega projects.

The committee comprises Israrullah Zehri, Mir Asadullah Baloch, Mir Muhammad Ali Rind and Syed Ehsan Shah.

Senator Zehri said that the BNP-A, which represents nationalists, had won five seats in the provincial assembly which reflected aspirations of the Baloch people and their support for the party’s policies.

Senator Zehri said that the party’s first option would be to form a coalition government with former ally PML-Q, but if the latter did not support Ehsan Shah, the two groups would be free to act on their own. He said he had met PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in Islamabad.