Mir Mohammad Ali Rind wins senate by-election

Rind from BNP-Awami secures 27 out of 59 votes.

QUETTA: Mir Mohammad Ali Rind of Balochistan National Party (BNP-Awami) won the senate by-election on Tuesday by securing 27 out of 59 votes.

Balochistan Assembly has a strength of 65 members out of which 59 turned up to cast their votes during senate’s by-election polling.

The seat fell vacant after the Balochistan High Court disqualified BNP-Awami leader Rind in August this year for concealing information when contesting the 2009 senate elections. He had concealed the fact that he was convicted of corruption and misappropriation by an unaccountability court.

However, Rind had filed nomination papers for the seat again, after the Supreme Court ruled against Balochistan High Court’s (BHC) verdict and allowed him to contest the polls.

Rind, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazl’s (JUI-F) Hafiz Hamdullah, Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid’s (PML-Q) Sardar Abdur Rehman Katheran, former minister during the interim government Haider Khan Nasir and Tariq Baloch of PML-Q had contested the by-election.

The polling began at 9am at Balochistan Assembly building and continued till 4pm. Tariq Baloch of PML-Q got 19 votes while JUI-F’s Hamdullah secured 13 votes.