ISLAMABAD: Shahzain Bugti, the president of the Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) and MNA-elect from National Assembly constituency NA-259 (Dera Bugti), has announced that he will vote for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan in the election for prime minister.

According to the PTI’s media cell, Mr Bugti annou­nc­ed his support for Mr Khan after meeting the latter at his Banigala residence on Tuesday.

It said Mr Khan had assured the JWP chief that after becoming the prime minister he would make efforts for resolving the outstanding issues of Balochistan.

“It is one of the top priorities of the PTI to rid the people of Balochistan of continuous deprivation,” Mr Khan was quoted as saying during the meeting, which was also attended by PTI senior leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Jahangir Tareen.

During the meeting, Mr Bugti apprised Mr Khan of the problems confronting his hometown of Dera Bugti and presented his point of view regarding rehabilitation of displaced people of the area, according to the media cell.

Mr Bugti said that despite being the main supplier of gas in the country, Dera Bugti district did not receive its due share in the country’s financial resources.

The JWP president criticised the previous government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for what he called not fulfilling promises it made with the Bugti tribesmen.

The PTI’s media cell said Mr Khan thanked the JWP president for his support and said: “We will provide all-out assistance to Shahzain Bugti and his party.”

Meanwhile, a delegation of the United Nations Development Programme, led by its resident representative Neil Buhne, held a meeting with the PTI chairman at his Banigala residence on Tuesday.

Mr Buhne said on the occasion that the UNDP had worked with the PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and now it was looking forward to working with the PTI-led federal government.

He said the UNDP was keen to work with the new government on eradication of corruption, rule of law, election reforms, youth empowerment, energy efficiency, tax collection system and governance.

Mr Buhne praised the reforms in the local government system brought by the PTI-led KP government.

Mr Khan thanked Mr Buhne for the visit and said after coming to power his party would take UNDP’s assistance for poverty alleviation, rule of law and water issues.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2018