QUETTA, March 1: The Pakistan People’s Party has changed its candidate nominated for the minority seat just 24 hours before the Senate election in Balochistan.

The party has now given ticket to Dr Rameesh Kumar who will contest the Senate election on Friday as the PPP candidate.

Earlier, the PPP had awarded the party ticket to an old party woman worker, Ms Hina Gulzar.

Speaking at a Press Conference here on Thursday night, Ms Gulzar protested the decision of the party high command and said that Dr Kumar did not belong to Balochistan because he had been elected on the minority seat from the Sindh Assembly in the 2002 general election.

She said Dr Kumar joined the PPP, just 24 hours ago and he was a voter in Mithi district of Sindh till Feb 7 this year.

INDEPENDENT MPA: An independent member of the Balochistan Assembly, Pir Abdul Qadir Gilani, has announced that he will vote for PPP candidates in Senate elections after getting an assurance from the party leadership that his four years’ development fund of Rs650 million will be released.

Speaking at a press conference, he said he had taken the decision after negotiations with the provincial government and leadership of the PPP who had agreed to release the fund.

He said he had been deprived of the development fund after he joined the opposition.

PPP’s Balochistan President Mir Sadiq Ali Umrani, Provincial Minister for Communication and Deputy Parliamentary Leader of PPP in the Balochistan Assembly Mir Ali Madad Jattak and PPP’s candidate for Senate Yousuf Baloch were present at the press conference.

“I will vote for PPP candidates in the Senate election to be held on Friday,” Qadir Gilani said, adding that he had taken the decision in the larger interest of the people of his constituency. He said the fund would be spent on development projects in Lasbela district.

Qadir Gilani was elected on a seat vacated by Jam Yousuf who retained the National Assembly seat.