I have severe reservations with PTI, says PM Imran Khan's special assistant Yar Mohammad Rind
February 23, 2021
- Rind says he is neither consulted nor taken into confidence on important matters
- Have been several years since I met PM Imran Khan, he says
- Who is Sadiq Sanjrani? What is his worth, asks Rind
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Education Minister of Balochistan, Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind said Tuesday that he had "severe reservations" with the ruling PTI, complaining that he is never consulted on important matters.
"I am the parliamentary leader of the PTI but am never consulted on any important matter," said Rind, speaking to Geo News. "Despite being a member of the cabinet, the prime minister doesn't give me five minutes for a meeting," he complained.
"Balochistan is being unjustly treated when it comes to the Senate elections," he said, lamenting that there is no representation of the province in the parliamentary board of the party.
'Who is Sadiq Sanjrani?'
The PTI leader lashed out at Senate Chairperson Sadiq Sanjrani, questioning his relationship with the PTI. "Who is Sadiq Sanjrani to take [important decisions]? What is his worth," he asked angrily. "What is his relationship to the PTI? In Balochistan, Sanjrani's character is regarded with extreme dislike," the PTI leader said.
Sanjrani lamented that it had been several years since he held a meeting with PM Imran Khan, adding that he was never taken into confidence on anything of note.
"We are worthless when compared to Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan," he complained. "The Senate elections will have repercussions for the entire country. I cannot say what will happen [during the elections]," he said.
Divisions within PTI over Senate candidates
Signs of an internal rift within the Balochistan chapter of the PTI became apparent after the party decided to reverse its decision of awarding the Senate ticket to Abdul Qadir.
Read more: PTI takes back Balochistan Senate ticket from Abdul Qadir after members cry foul
According to Dawn, Abdul Qadir is a "business tycoon affiliated with the construction industry".
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill, in a tweet, had said that the party had reversed its decision and now the Balochistan ticket had been allotted to Zahoor Agha.
"The kaptaan (skipper) always listens to his people," the prime minister's aide had said.
The decision to award Abdul Qadir the Senate ticket was met with heavy opposition by PTI members.
A press conference was held by the regional presidents of PTI Balochistan.
"The party has issued a ticket for the Senate to a man named Abdul Qadir, who has nothing to do with the party," regional president Nawab Khan had said.
He had said that giving a ticket to Abdul Qadir is a violation of the party manifesto.
Quetta president Munir Baloch, meanwhile, had said that party regional leaders and workers "have serious reservations over the ticket given to Abdul Qadir".
He had asked how a ticket can be awarded to someone who, he claimed, is being investigated by the National Accountability Bureau.
"We request Imran Khan to review this decision," Baloch had said.
He had further requested that an inquiry be held against the person who had recommended Abdul Qadir's candidacy to the prime minister.
