Negotiations begin: PPP contacts group of independent senators

PTI senior leader also said to have approached the party-less group

QUETTA: All political parties having representation in Senate including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have started approaching the newly elected group of six senators, who contested from Balochistan as independent candidates and were elected with the support of dissident PML-N members, who had rebelled against the central leadership earlier this year.

Qayyum Somroo, a close aide of PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, dashed to Quetta last night along with former deputy speaker of the National Assembly, Faisal Karim Kundi and had a meeting with the elected senators. The leaders congratulated the senators on their success on behalf of the PPP Co-Chairperson. According to sources the PPP delegation also had a meeting with Chief Minister, Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo in which they sought support for their candidate for the position of Chairman Senate.

Furthermore, the former secretary general of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and senior leader, Jahangir Khan Tareen is also said to have contacted senator-elect Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar and congratulated him on his success in the elections. Tareen also informed Kakar that a delegation of PTI will soon be meeting the independent group of senators for future arrangements.

Confirming being contacted by the two top parties, Kakar said that they are only receiving congratulatory messages and that there is nothing to speculate about joining any of the two. Senator-elect Sadiq Sanjrani who is considered close to the PPP leadership, said that the senators from Balochistan will meet all political parties and demand that the top slot should be given to Balochistan this time.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2018.