PPP leader Mir Baz Khan Khetran said tickets were given to the people who had never been in the party and not known to the local workers. When asked to name such candidates, he cited the examples of Balochistan Governor Zulfiqar Magsi's son and Yousuf Baloch.

ISLAMABAD: There has been 'resentment' in the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) ranks in Balochistan over the leadership's decision of awarding tickets for the forthcoming Senate polls to 'newcomers', claims a member of the party's Central Executive Committee.

Mr Khetran, however, avoided criticising party co-chairman and President Asif Ali Zardari, alleging that the central leadership had been "misguided" by those running the party affairs in the province.

The PPP leader said tickets were given to the people who had never been in the party and not known to the local workers. When asked to name such candidates, he cited the examples of Balochistan Governor Zulfiqar Magsi's son and Yousuf Baloch.

In response to a question, Mr Khetran said he had no choice but to follow the party discipline and accept the leadership's decision. He, however, warned the leadership that such decisions would further weaken the party's position and standing in the province.

Mr Khetran went on to say that Balochistan situation was deteriorating fast and that weakening of the PPP, which was the only party having representation in all the federating units, would hamper all efforts of the present government to bring normalcy in the province.

He said the promises made by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani with the local people and party workers during his recent visits to the province had never been fulfilled and the PPP's popularity was rapidly declining in Balochistan.

Mr Khetran said that during the last four years he had drawn the attention of the party leadership many times towards the party's state of affairs in the province and had even written letters to President Zardari about it.