QUETTA: Provincial general secretary of the PML-N, Nasibullah Khan Bazai, who was contesting coming Senate election as an independent candidate for the seat reserved for technocrats, has announced to join the PML-N dissident group.

The MPAs of the PML-N, who had revolted against the coalition government led by Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, have welcomed Mr Bazai in their ranks and announced their support for him in the Senate election.

The announcement was made during a joint press conference with Provincial Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti at the CM Secretariat. Education Minister Tahir Mehmood and Adviser to the Chief Minister on Information Anwarul-Haq Kakar were also present on the occasion.

The situation emerged when the nomination papers of two candidates — Abdul Qadir and Hasan Islam — were rejected by the Supreme Court on technical grounds. They had filed their nomination papers in the technocrat category.

After the rejection by the apex court, Mr Bazai, who was a candidate of PML-N for the technocrat seat, approached the leaders of the dissident group and sought its support.

Responding to a question, Mr Bugti said: “We have decided to support Mr Bazai as he is from the Muslim League and we do not want to leave the field for our opponents.” “We are still Muslim leaguers and respect our party’s central leadership,” he said, adding that the PML-N leadership never took the provincial leadership in confidence while taking decisions about Balochistan affairs. “This attitude of the PML-N central leadership forced Balochistan MPAs to take their own decision at the provincial level,” said the home minister.

Meanwhile, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Chairman of the Mehmood Khan Achakzai, and former chief minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch met Balochistan Assembly Speaker Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani in her chamber.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2018