QUETTA: Provincial chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind has refuted claims of rifts within the Balochistan chapter of the party, saying Prime Minister Imran Khan is serious about resolving the issues facing the province.

“Being the coalition partner of Balochistan Awami Party, we have assured Chief Minister Jam Kamal of our full support because we believe the new provincial government faced harsh circumstances during its first six months due to a financial crisis and flawed performance of provincial departments,” Sardar Rind said while addressing a news conference on Saturday after chairing a party meeting.

Refuting rifts inside PTI Balochistan, Sardar Rind said: “We heard all recommendations and reservations of our party leaders which would be discussed with Prime Minister during the next meeting.”

“We can understand that PM Imran Khan was busy in cleaning the pile of mess created by the previous government but he is serious about leading the people of Balochistan and resolve provincial issues.”

Replying to a query regarding local government elections in Balochistan, the PTI provincial chief said that he had a clear stance and wanted the governance system to be run like Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2019