‘N’ set to sweep Punjab Senate seats as PTI sticks to boycott

Published February 9, 2015
A view of Punjab assembly.—APP/File
A view of Punjab assembly.—APP/File

LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-N is set to sweep all 11 Senate seats from Punjab because the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf sticks to its stance of not accepting a “bogus” provincial assembly as electoral college for the upper house polls.

The Senate elections are due to be held on March 3.

The PML-N enjoys more than two-thirds majority (312 MPAs) in a 371-member Punjab Assembly. The PTI, with just 30 seats stands second to N League, while both the PPP and PML-Q have eight members each in the house.

There are five independent MPAs, whereas the PML-Zia has three, the Pakistan National Muslim League (PNML), Jamat-i-Islami (JI) and Bahawalpur National Awami Party (BNAP) have one MPA each. Two seats are lying vacant.

In this equation, a candidate for general seat will have to bag at least 35 first priority votes to reach the Senate. (Each MPA or voter may mention seven priorities, equal to the number of general Senate seats from each province, in his/her ballot.)

If stand united, all the opposition parties (minus PTI) have 27 votes. Therefore, an opposition candidate, like Chaudhry Shujaat who has already started his efforts to woo the PPP for its support, will need at least eight turncoats among the ruling PML-N to ensure his win.

To clip PML-Q president’s wings and also to dent the PTI’s anti-government movement, the PML-N has offered, as a bait, Imran Khan’s party a Senate seat if it returns to the assembly.

PTI MPAs had handed over their resignations to the Punjab Assembly speaker on Aug 27 but these have not yet been accepted for want of “confirmation” through their individual appearance before the chair -- Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan -- “as per requirement of the law”.

Punjab’s former law minister, Rana Sanaullah Khan, confirms the reports that the PML-N may consider surrendering one Senate seat to the PTI provided it returns to the house.

The PTI’s parliamentary party which met here on Saturday, however, unanimously decided to follow the central leadership’s decision of boycotting the Senate polls from all provinces, except Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Punjab Assembly opposition leader Mian Mahmoodur Rashid categorically rejects any chance of PTI MPAs becoming part of the Senate election process.

PTI spokesman Naeem Mir says how can the party accept an assembly with “bogus” mandate to become electoral college for the Senate polls. The party will adhere to the decision of the central leadership, he adds.

Meanwhile, the PML-N is in a fix over whom to award Senate tickets after it received around 90 applications from Punjab only.

Interestingly, the applicants include the people who are not even formal members of the party like prime minister’s advisors Irfan Siddiqui and Tariq Fatimi, Yawar Irfan, Muhammad Zubair, etc.

Beside, many of the applicants are over 65 years of age.

Relatives of a number of the candidates are already in the assemblies or have been accommodated in government offices. Mehtab Abbasi, the KP governor and a member of the parliamentary board, was quoted as advising his colleagues in the board that they should prefer those, while awarding tickets for Senate, whose families were unrepresented in the assemblies.

There are also those who stood by the party through thick and thin but have not yet been accommodated in assemblies, party or in other offices.

Prime Minister and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has invited all the candidates to Islamabad on Monday to deliver them a short speech in a bid to mitigate heart burning in case of not being nominated for the Senate polls.

In 2012 polls, such speech was delivered by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Published in Dawn February 9th , 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play

Opinion

From hard to harder

From hard to harder

Instead of ‘hard state’ turning even harder, citizens deserve a state that goes soft on them in delivering democratic and development aspirations.

Editorial

Canal unrest
Updated 03 Apr, 2025

Canal unrest

With rising water scarcity in Indus system, it is crucial to move towards a consensus-driven policymaking process.
Iran-US tension
03 Apr, 2025

Iran-US tension

THE Trump administration’s threats aimed at Iran do not bode well for global peace, and unless Washington changes...
Flights to history
03 Apr, 2025

Flights to history

MOHENJODARO could have been the forgotten gold we desperately need. Instead, this 5,000-year-old well of antiquity ...
Eid amidst crises
Updated 31 Mar, 2025

Eid amidst crises

Until the Muslim world takes practical steps to end these atrocities, these besieged populations will see no joy.
Women’s rights
Updated 01 Apr, 2025

Women’s rights

Such judgements, and others directly impacting women’s rights should be given more airtime in media.
Not helping
Updated 02 Apr, 2025

Not helping

If it's committed to peace in Balochistan, the state must draw a line between militancy and legitimate protest.