QUETTA: The Pakistan Tehreek -i-Insaf (PTI) leadership has formally approached senators-elect who contested in the recent Senate elections as independent candidates from Balochistan and extended an invitation to them to join the PTI.

A delegation of PTI leaders led by Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, the party’s provincial president, on Monday visited residences of three senators-elect — Mir Sadiq Sanjrani, Ahmed Khan Khilji and Anwarul Haq Kakar.

The PTI leaders congratulated the three senators-elect on their victory and presented them with bouquets of flowers.

Sources said that the PTI leaders invited the independent senators from Balochistan to join the party.

According to them, Mr Rind and Mr Kakar also had a one-on-one meeting for half an hour at latter’s residence. “Mr Rind convoyed a message of PTI chairman Imran Khan to Mr Kakar,” a source close to Mr Kakar told Dawn without sharing further details.

The sources claimed that the PTI leaders told Mr Kakar that the party would “field him for the top slot of the Senate” if he joined it.

Mr Kakar, however, was not available to confirm this or comment on any development.

The PTI leaders also held meetings with Mr Khilji and Mir Sanjrani and discussed with them the prevailing political situation in the country and the province.

The sources said the same invitation was extended to the two senators-elect.

Sources close to the senators-elect said that they thanked the PTI leaders for extending an invitation to join the party and said that they would take a collective decision about their future political affiliation.

The independent senators-elect from Balochistan have already announced that they would form their own group in the Senate.

They demanded that the chairmanship of the Senate should be given to Balochistan this time.

“The Senate’s top slot should be given to Balochistan now,” Mr Sanjrani said, adding that he would accept it if the chairmanship went to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2018