Filing Nomination: PPP has lost ground in Balochistan, says Jamali

Jan Jamali voiced hope that the interim PM Mir Hazar Khan Khoso would lead the country towards free and fair elections

QUETTA: Former chief minister and deputy chairman of the Senate Mir Jan Mohammad Jamali on Thursday submitted his nomination papers for the Jaffarabad constituency.

Talking to the media, Jan Jamali stated that Balochistan National Party’s (BNP) participation in the upcoming elections could be a political game changer for the province. He claimed that since the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had lost ground in Balochistan it is unlikely to be able to garner fair representation in the provincial assembly in the next polls.

The former chief minister said that those who could bag votes for the PPP in Balochistan had already deserted the party.

Praising Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s decision to contest the polls, he said the move would bring the Balochistan back into mainstream politics.

By boycotting the previous elections, he said, BNP and other nationalist parties of the province had created a vacuum and distanced the Baloch from national politics.

Jan Jamali voiced hope that the interim Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso would succeed in leading the country towards free and fair elections. “Khoso served as the chief justice and we hope that he will remain neutral,” Jan Jamali remarked.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2013.