QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has said that he would not allow any outsider to be elected a senator from Balochistan and represent the province in the upper house of parliament.

Talking to journalists here on Thursday during a visit to Ayub Stadium, he said that in the past people from other provinces were elected to the Senate from Balochistan, but this time nobody would be allowed to do so.

Replying to a question, he said that they had promised the Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to help them in the March 3 Senate elections and they would fulfil the promise.

The chief minister vowed to remove the stigma on Balochistan regarding sale and purchase of votes in the Senate elections.

Replying to a question about Sitara Ayaz, a Senate candidate, he said that she had quit the ANP and joined the Blochistan Awami Party (BAP).

Referring to the opposition parties’ strategy relating to the Senate elections, he said: “I also give credit to the opposition that ‘parachutists’ have not submitted nomination papers for the Senate elections.”

He said that in the last election four senators from the BAP had been elected and they showed excellent performance and truly represented the people of Balochistan.

He said that the BAP was not restricted to the province as it also had representation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Senate and National Assembly.

The chief minister visited under-construction projects at Ayub Stadium and said that preparations were under way for holding the National Games at the stadium which had a huge sports complex but needed further improvement.

He was briefed on various buildings being constructed at Ayub Stadium Sports Complex and inspected the under-construction buildings.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2021