PROFILE: A veteran politician

QUETTA:

Sanaullah Zehri, who was nominated on Thursday as the 22nd chief minister of Balochistan, was born on August 4, 1961 in Anjeera, headquarters of the Zehri tribal territory in the province’s Khuzdar district.

He is not only the chief of the powerful Zehri tribe, but also heads the Jhalawan tribes like his father Sardar Doda Khan Zehri.

He completed his matriculation from the Karachi Grammar School in the port city, and acquired a Bachelor’s degree in political science from Karachi University in 1983.

He joined the National Party of Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bizenjo and remained his staunch follower until his death.

Zehri contested the 1990 general elections on the party’s ticket and succeeded in becoming a member of the Balochistan Assembly.

He was inducted as a provincial minister in the cabinet of Taj Muhammad Jamali and later in the cabinet of Zulfikar Ali Magsi. In 1998 he was a senator during the government of Sardar Akhtar Mengal.

In 2002 and 2007 he was elected as an MPA from National Party (Parliamentarian) from PB-50 (Khuzdar). He won all the elections he contested barring one from Kalat. He served as a provincial minister holding many portfolios until 2003. He has had success in the past six general elections.

In 2010 he joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Next August he was elected as the assistant general secretary of the party for Balochistan.

In 2012, Zehri became the president of the PML-N’s Balochistan chapter. Next year he was made a senior provincial minister.

Ahead of the 2013 general elections, he faced a terrible tragedy: his son, brother and a nephew were killed in a bomb attack. However, he persevered.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2015.