Pakistan People's Party (PPP) faced a serious setback after its Senator from Balochistan, Nawabzada Mir Lashkari Raisani on Tuesday not only resigned from his seat in the upper house of parliament but also quit the party, it is learnt. According to the sources, Raisani called on Chairman Senate Nayyar Bukhari before submitting his resignation to the Senate Secretariat.
The sources close to him said that Raisani might join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf during Imran Khan's upcoming visit to Balochistan in Quetta on April 20. Sources said that Raisani resigned over the law and order situation in Balochistan where dozens of people had been killed in recent days. Source also said he was annoyed with the party's leadership for not paying due attention to the problem.
The sources also quoted Raisani as saying that the PPP had not been able to trace missing persons and stop targeted killings in the province. "The reason for this resignation is my disillusionment with the present PPP leadership," stated Raisani in his one-page resignation letter.
Raisani was unhappy with the party leadership on its failure to address the crisis in Balochistan. He had already quit as president of the Balochistan chapter of the PPP last year. Political analysts told Business Recorder that Raisani's resignation would also hinder the government's efforts to address issues of the troubled province.
This correspondent tried to get Raisani's views but he could not be contacted. When contacted, Spokesperson's for the President Senator Farhatullha Babar told Business Recorder that the party had not yet received any such resignation. However, referring to the resignation from the Senate seat, he said, the PPP had so far not taken any decision.