Manzoor Kakar wins Senate by-polls in Balochistan

QUETTA (92 News) – Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) candidate and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led ruling coalition Manzoor Ahmad Kakar won the by-election on a Senate seat from Balochistan. According to the unofficial results, BAP’s Manzoor Ahmad Kakar obtained 38 votes while the candidate of the joint opposition BNP-Mengal’s Ghulam Nabi Marri received only 23 votes. The polling continued without any interval till 4pm. In all, five candidates are in the race for the seat. The seat was vacated after the death of Sardar Azam Musakhel of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party. The ruling party has 41 votes, while the opposition has 23 votes. However, it was predicted that the estranged members of the ruling party could affect the election. Azam Khan Musakhel was elected senator in 2015. According to the Election Commission, steps have been taken to make the election peaceful and transparent. On Sunday, Balochistan National Party-Mengal had threatened to quit the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led ruling coalition if the ruling didn’t support his candidate in the by-elections on a vacant seat of Senate.