On National Party (NP) President Abdul Malik Baloch’s announcing support for Asif Ali Zardari, Pashtunkhwa Awami National Party (PkMAP) leader Abdul Qahar Wadan Saturday said the former had earlier assured to support Mahmood Khan Achakzai in the presidential election.
Talking to media persons in Quetta, Wadan said the NP, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and independent candidates had assured the PkMAP of support in the election against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Zardari.
He also wondered that how the NP settled on eight demands, while they had 28 demands in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — a coalition of various political parties.
Meanwhile, MPA Abdul Malik said there was no confusion that the NP would sit in the opposition benches, but they would support Zardari in the election as the majority of his party members favoured him.
NP earlier announced support for Zardari in the Senate and provincial assemblies.
NP spokesperson Ali Ahmed Langove, after a discussion with the PPP, said they had agreed to his party’s eight demands including recovery of missing persons and implementation of the 18th Amendment.
The spokesperson said they also agreed to give Balochistan a share of the revenue generated by the Gwadar port and dams’ construction.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) presidential candidate Achakzai is contesting the presidential poll against Zardari on Saturday (today).