QUETTA: The Balochistan National Party-M’s deputy organiser Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini said on Wednesday that although his party’s mandate had been stolen in last year’ s general elections, it had preferred to continue participating in democratic, parliamentary politics.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the BNP-M had urged Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan soon after the elections to launch protests against the large-scale rigging, but he had not taken interest in the matter at that time.

Dr Jamaldini said the leaders of the PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek should emphasise electoral reforms instead of seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

“We condemn the killing of PAT members in Lahore’s Model Town but we also don’t understand why there is silence over the targeted killing of 90 BNP workers, dumping of 1,200 mutilated bodies and thousands of Baloch missing persons,” he said.

He suggested an amendment to the Constitution to empower the Senate to pass the finance bill so that the federating units could safeguard their financial interests.

He also proposed that the senators, governors of provinces and mayor and deputy mayors of metropolitan corporations should be directly elected by the people.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2014