ISLAMABAD: The ongoing process of Senate elections will be completed on March 12 when the chairperson and deputy chairperson of the house will be elected.

President Mamnoon Hussain has summoned the Senate’s first session of 13th parliamentary year on March 12.

According to an announcement issued from the presidency, the newly elected members will take the oath of their office and election of the chairperson and deputy chairperson will take place during the session.

A total of 127 candidates are contesting for 48 Senate seats, while four members have been elected unopposed on reserved seats from Sindh.

According to the final list of candidates released by the Election Commission, 84 candidates will be contesting for 33 general seats, 21 for nine seats reserved for women, 18 for eight seats reserved for ulema and technocrats and eight for two seats allocated for non-Muslims.

Polling to elect the new senators is scheduled to be held on March 5 in the national and provincial assemblies.

Prominent among the senators set to leave after completion of their tenure are Senate Chairman Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, Deputy Chairman Sabir Baloch, PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and the Awami National Party’s Afrasiab Khattak, Haji Adeel and Zahid Khan.

Leader of the House Raja Zafarul Haq, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, Climate Change Minister Mushahidullah Khan, Prof Sajid Mir, Najma Hameed and Sardar Yaqoob Nasir of the PML-N are also among the retiring senators but they have obtained the party ticket for the coming polls. Given the party’s position in the Punjab and Balochistan assemblies, they have bright chances of becoming senators for another term.

PUNJAB: For seven general seats from Punjab, nine PML-N candidates and a PPP man are the only contenders. They are: retired Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum, Saud Majeed, Pervaiz Rashid, Mushahidullah Khan, Chaudhry Tanvir Khan, Ghous Mohammad Khan Niazi, Syed Nihal Hashmi, Khawaja Mehmood Ahmad and Saleem Zia of the PML-N and Nadeem Afzal Chan of PPP.

The PML-N’s Najma Hameed and Ayesha Raza Farooq and PPP’s Sarwat Kanwal are in the run for two seats reserved for women. Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq and Prof Sajid Mir of the PML-N and Malik Nosher Khan Langrial of the PPP will contest for two reserved seats for Ulema and technocrats.

SINDH: There are eight candidates for seven general seats from Sindh — Rehman Malik, Saleem Mandviwala, Islamuddin Sheikh, Abdul Latif Ansari and Gianchand of the PPP, Khushbakht Shujaat and Mian Ateeq Sheikh of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Imamuddin Shoqeen of PML-F.

Sassui Palijo of the PPP and Nighat Mirza of the MQM have been unofficially elected unopposed on seats reserved for women after four candidates withdrew their nominations.

Former Senate chairman Farooq H. Naek of the PPP and Muhammad Ali Saif of the MQM have been elected unopposed on two seats reserved for technocrats after withdrawal of candidature by Mr Malik and the MQM’s Abdul Kadir Khanzada.

KHYBER PAKHTUNKWA: In KP, 12 candidates are in the run for seven general seats. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s candidates are Mohsin Aziz and Syed Shibli Faraz. Others in the race are Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief’s brother Attaur Rahman, Haji Muhammad Adeel of the ANP and retired Lt Gen Salahuddin Tirmizi.

Six candidates are vying for two seats reserved for women, six for two reserved seats for technocrats and three for one reserved seat for non-Muslims.

BALOCHISTAN: In Balochistan, 14 candidates will contest the elections for seven general seats; six for two seats reserved for women, seven for two seats reserved for technocrats and five for one seat of non-Muslims.

FATA: From the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, 36 candidates are in the run for four general seats.

Published in Dawn March 3rd , 2015

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