QUETTA: Mohammad Khalid Bizenjo of the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) was elected to the upper house of parliament from Balochistan in a Senate by-election on Saturday.
He will remain a member of the Senate until March 2021.
The seat had fallen vacant after the death of National Party founder Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo last month. He was suffering from cancer.
According to the result announced by the Provincial Election Commissioner, Khalid Bizenjo obtained 38 votes out of 61 cast in the by-election, while Maulana Ghousullah, the joint candidate of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, got 21 votes.
Two votes were rejected, while Sardar Sanaullah Zehri of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Mohammad Khan Tour Utmankhail of the BAP and Molvi Noor Mohammad of the JUI-F did not vote.
Four candidates were in the field, but Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate Dr Munir Ahmed withdrew his candidature in favour of Khalid Bizenjo as the PTI is part of the BAP-led provincial government.
The BNP-M candidate had retired from the contest in favour of Maulana Ghousullah.
Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani congratulated Khalid Bizenjo on his election and said the poll result had proved that parties in the coalition government were united.
Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2020