QUETTA: Balochistan Governor Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail on Thursday removed PPP minister Mir Ali Hassan Zehri from the Sarfaraz Bugti-led provincial cabinet with immediate effect.

According to a notification issued by Balochistan Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan, the governor, under Article 132(3) of the Constitution and on the advice of the chief minister, removed Mr Zehri, also known as Brohi, from his position as provincial minister.

It is pertinent to mention that Mr Zehri had earlier submitted his resignation to the chief minister. Foll­owing a decision by the Fed­eral Consti­tutional Court, the Election Commi­ssion of Pakistan had also issued a notification suspending his membership of the provincial assembly.

Mr Zehri claimed to be the spokesman for President Asif Ali Zardari in Balochistan. He is also the senior vice president of PPP Balochistan. Mr Zehri contested the Balochistan Assembly election in February 2024 from PB-22 Hub and remained third in the election result against Sardar Muhammad Saleh Bhootani.

However, Mr Zehri, despite finishing third in the election, challenged the result by filing a petition against the winner, Sardar Bhootani, and after various hearings at the tribunal, high court and other courts, he was dec­lared an MPA by the ECP.

After being elected as an MPA, he was inducted into the Balochistan cabinet as adviser to the chief minister on commerce and industry. He was later sworn in as the provincial minister for agriculture and cooperatives.

Meanwhile, Sardar Bhootani continued his legal fight and filed a petition against the ECP’s decision in the FCC. The court, after prolonged hearings, accepted the petition of Sardar Bhootani and reserved its verdict.

A day before the FCC was set to announce its verdict, Mr Zehri tendered his resignation. The next day, the FCC suspended Mr Zehri’s notification as the retu­r­ned candidate from the Bal­o­c­h­i­s­tan Assembly PB-21 constituency.

Later,the ECP issued a notification de-seating him as an MPA.

As a minister, he had differences with CM Bugti and, after resigning, accused the chief minister of interfering in his constituency.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2026