CHIEF Minister of Balochistan Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, after week-long hectic efforts, has succeeded in mustering support of the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and some other parties for “Balochistan’s candidate” for the office of Senate chairman.

After the recent Senate elections, the Bizenjo-led group of independent senators-elect from Balochistan raised the demand that the top office of Senate be given to the province.

The group has nominated Mir Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani as its candidate for the post of Senate chairman, and finally PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has announced that Mr Sanjrani is his party’s candidate for the top slot of the upper house of parliament.

Mr Sanjrani’s name was circulating in the federal capital as candidate for the office of chairman since the independent senators-elect from Balochistan reached Islamabad and Chief Minister Bizenjo launched a campaign for him.

Mr Sanjrani belongs to Chagai, the mineral-rich district of Balochistan having huge reserves of gold, silver, copper, iron ore, onyx, marble and other precious minerals. Saindak and Reko Diq copper-cum-gold sites are located in the district.

Sadiq Sanjrani, who belongs to the docile Sanjrani Baloch tribe, was born on April 14, 1978. After basic schooling in his native town Nokundi, he went to Islamabad for further education and obtained a master’s degree from there.

Belonging to a political family, he started his career by joining the team of then prime minister Nawaz Sharif as coordinator in 1998 and served with him till the ouster of his government by Gen Pervez Musharraf in 1999.

Then Mr Sanjrani came close to the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership and was appointed in-charge of the party’s complaint cell where he worked for five years.

Sadiq Sanjrani’s father Khan Muhammad Asif Sanjrani is considered one of the leading tribal elders of Chagai district and currently he is a member of the Chagai District Council.

Sadiq Sanjrani has five brothers and he is eldest among them.

One of his brothers, Raziq Sanjrani, is managing director of the Saindak Metals Limited and another, Mir Muhammad Ejaz Sanjrani, a coordinator to the Balochistan chief minister.

Sadiq Sanjrani had also worked with former chief minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri as his special assistant.

Sadiq Sanjrani has considerable administrative experience as he has previously held government positions like coordinator, Grievances Cell, Prime Minister’s Secretariat (1999); member, Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission and then chief coordinator/adviser, Prime Minister’s Grievances Wing, Prime Minister’s Secretariat (2009).

Presently, he is chief executive of the Pakistan Testing Service, Sanjrani Mining Company, and director/chairman of HR committee of the National Industrial Parks Development and Management Company.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Sanjrani said, “I am a simple man and want to serve my people who have been deprived of their rights for the last 70 years. I believe in working for people and during my career, I have tried to help people in different ways.”

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2018