Election for Senate chairmanship: Govt delegation visits Wali Bagh to seek ANP’s support

CHARSADDA: A government-sponsored high-level delegation on Sunday visited Wali Bagh in Charsadda and met the Awami National Party (ANP) leadership to seek the party support for the upcoming election of chairman in the Senate.

The delegation, comprising Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak, met the ANP leaders including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa former chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Aimal Wali Khan.

The ANP newly elected Senator Arbab Umar Farooq and Hidayatullah Khan and Balochistan Minister Engr Zmarak Khan were also present. Inside sources said that the delegation sought the ANP support in the election for the Senate chairmanship.

They said that the meeting was held in a friendly and pleasant environment and the two sides expressed their resolve for strengthening democracy and working for the welfare of the people. The ANP leadership told the delegation that their party believed in the supremacy of democracy and parliament.

They said that their party was ready for cooperation with all the democratic forces for continuity and strengthening of democratic culture in the country. The sources also said that the ANP president Asfandyar Wali Khan could not meet the delegation owing to his illness. However, the members of delegation inquired after the health of ANP top brass from the party leaders. It may be mentioned that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government had already nominated the incumbent Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani for the Senate chairmanship.

Political pundits view the meeting a very meaningful at a time when the ANP leaders Arbab Umar Farooq and Hidayatullah Khan were elected as senators from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in the recent election.

Likewise, the ANP is also a coalition partner with Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) in the provincial government and it has two ministers and an advisor to chief minister. Sadiq Sanjrani also hails from Balochistan province and his party BAP heads the provincial government.