LAHORE: The PML-N’s announcement about nominating five more candidates for Senate seats from Punjab has created confusion among the party ranks.

Party Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb issued a statement on Sunday declaring that the PML-N’s parliamentary board has nominated seven candidates for the Senate polls from Punjab after five more were directed to submit their candidatures to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the purpose.

The five names latest included noted columnist Irfan Siddiqui, former law minister Zahid Hamid, Baleeghur Rehman, former health minister Saira Afzal Tarar and Saiful Malook Khokhar.

The parliamentary board had earlier nominated former information minister Pervaiz Rashid, outgoing senator Mushahidullah Khan and president of the party’s long-time ally Jamiat Ahle Hadith Prof Sajid Mir against general seats, and Advocate Azam Nazir Tarar and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s sister Saadia Abbasi against reserved seats for technocrats and women, respectively.

This brings the total nominees to 10, however the spokesperson on Sunday said the party has nominated seven candidates, without elaborating which three would be eventually dropped. Saood Majeed, a loyalist from Bahawalpur, and Mushahidullah’s son Afnanullah Khan have also submitted their nominations. PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal told Dawn that the five people directed to file nominations on Sunday were meant to be covering candidates.

Marriyum Aurangzeb says party fielded seven candidates, not elaborating the three to be dropped

However, Mr Siddiqui, who reached Lahore from Islamabad late on Sunday evening, was quoted by an aide as saying that he could not have travelled in a haste just to become a covering candidate.

Analysts also wonder if senior politicians of the stature of Zahid Hamid, who had to resign as a member of the PML-N’s federal cabinet over the issue of change in lawmakers’ oath, could be asked to file his nomination as a covering candidate and that too after the deadline for filing of candidatures was extended from Feb 13 to 15 by the ECP.

Each of the four provincial assemblies will elect seven senators against general seats and two each for technocrats and women in the contest to be held on March 3. Scrutiny of the papers will be held on Feb 17 and 18 at the offices of returning officers. Appeals against decisions of the returning officers may be filed by Feb 20, which will be adjudicated by Feb 23, while candidates may withdraw their nominations on Feb 25.

The PML-N has 165 MPAs in the 371-strong Punjab Assembly. Less than a dozen of them are disgruntled and likely to vote against the party’s nominees. As each Senate candidate for a general seat will have to secure at least 53 votes from Punjab (371/7 = 53), and each hopeful for the reserved seat 186 votes, the PML-N earlier fielded Mr Rashid, Mr Khan and Prof Mir for general seats, and Advocate Tarar and Ms Abbasi for technocrat and reserved seats.

Party insiders say there was resentment among its ranks on the nomination of Mr Tarar, who is not even a formal member of the PML-N. They say those belonging to the Potohar region are also distressed at former senator Raja Zafarul Haq being ignored who has allegedly requested party supremo Nawaz Sharif to accommodate his son, Raja Muhammad Ali, in the Senate this time.

On the other hand, Mushahidullah Khan is in poor health and, sources say, he too has approached the leadership to instead award the party ticket to his son, Afnan. But no decision has been taken in this regard so far.

Meanwhile, Malik Zaheer Abbas Khokhar and Aon Abbas of the ruling PTI submitted their candidatures against general seats here on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2021