QUETTA: Differences among Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders over the issue of award of party ticket to Syed Zahoor Agha for the Senate elections in place of business tycoon Muhammad Abdul Qadir could not be removed on Monday.

The son of Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, the parliamentary leader of PTI in the Balochistan Assembly, Sardar Khan Rind, filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate, while Syed Zahoor Agha filed his papers on the PTI ticket for the Senate polls on Monday — the last day of filing of the nomination papers.

Muhammad Abdul Qadir also reached the office of returning officer and submitted his nomination papers as an independent candidate for a general seat of the Senate as his earlier papers would be rejected because of withdrawal of the PTI ticket.

According to sources, some PTI leaders and workers had opposed the award of party ticket to Syed Zahoor Agha in the province and the filing of nomination papers by Sardar Khan Rind as independent candidate also showed the anger of Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind who was not consulted by the PTI’s high command over the Senate ticket issue.

For 12 Senate seats of Balochistan, 41 candidates have filed their nomination papers. Senator Muhammad Usman Kakar of the Pashtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party, who will retire as senator on March 11, has again filed his nomination papers with the returning officer.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2021