Independent Senator from Balochistan joins PPP

ISLAMABAD: Mir Mohammad Yusaf Badini, a newly elected senator from Balochistan, announced on Monday to join the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) after a meeting with former President Asif Ali Zardari.

Badini was elected as a member of the Upper House of Parliament as an independent candidate in the March 5 poll. He, however, has been a senator since 2009 and was elected unopposed in 2012 as PPP-P candidate.

With his induction in the party folds, the PPP's strength in the Senate has risen to 28.

The PPP and the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have stepped up efforts to get slots of Chairman and Deputy Chairman Senate following the March 5 election.

Leaders from both the PPP and the PML-N have been engaged in consulting different political parties to garner support in this regard.