Recently appointed Saskatchewan human rights commissioner seeking Sask. Party nomination

The Saskatchewan Party has confirmed that a man recently appointed to the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission is also trying to run for the party in the next provincial election.

Last month, Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre appointed seven new members to the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission,replacing existing members who had resigned or whose term had ended.

Mubarik Syed, a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat community in Saskatoon, was one of them. In a statement this week, the Saskatchewan Party confirmed that Syed is the same man seeking the nomination for the party in Saskatoon Southeast.

"Mr.Syedwill be abstaining from the board till the completion of the nomination and will be resigning if nominated," wroteSaskatchewan Party executive director Patrick Bundrock.

When the commission appointments were announced, Eyre described the decision to "refresh" the board as "good governance."

Former commissioner Heather Kuttai described the decision as "highly" unusual, saying it's normally very important to have some form of "corporate memory."