seat.
While talking to the media outside the Pakistan Election Commission (ECP), Sindh Assembly member MQM’s Sardar Ahmed urged the settlement of issues through talks. He said that issues with the PPP regarding the Senate election had been resolved.
Meanwhile, as many as 31 sitting Senators out of 52 outgoing ones are not contesting polls for another stint, including Senate Chairman Sayed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Deputy Chairman Sabir Baloch, former prime minister and President Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, PPP Secretary General Jehangir Badr, Ms Sughra Hussain Imam, former federal ministers Babar Khan Ghauri, Maula Bux Chandio and Chaudhary Jaffar Iqbal.
The PPP is losing 21 seats in the House and is likely to bag eight seats in the contest. It is eying two additional seats so that it can have a say for the top position in the Upper House.
Federal ministers Senators Pervaiz Rashid, Mushahidullah Khan and Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, Mir Hasil Bizenjo, Farook H Naek, Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq, Professor Sajid Mir, Sardar Yaqoob Khan Nasir, Begum Najma Hameed, Islamuddin Shaikh, Rehman Malik, and Saleem Mandviwala will retire on the 11th of March but they will return to the House for six years. The PPP will be the major loser in terms of seats but the ANP, JUI and independent group will also receive a serious setback due to the reduction in their representation in the House.
Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) will be the new entrants to the Upper House.
The sources said that 21 sitting members were trying their luck by staying in the fray but ten would have to face disappointment in the end. Some candidates who are contesting from two smaller provinces are still hopeful of winning the polls.
The sitting members of the PPP, who retire on March 11 but are contesting again, include Saleem Mandviwala, Mir Yousaf Badini, Islamuddin Shaikh, Waqar Ahmad Khan (not on a PPP ticket from KP), Farook H Naek and Rehman Malik. The other sitting members who are trying their luck are: Abbas Khan Afridi (sitting federal minister), Afrasayab Khan Khattak, Engineer Malik Rashid Ahmad, Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq, Haji Ghulam Ali, Haji Khan Afridi and Ms Kulsoom Parveen (not on a BNP-A ticket but on a PML-N ticket), Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, Mushahidullah Khan, Pervaiz Rashid, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, Muhammad Idrees Saafi and Professor Sajid Mir. The PML-N has planned to field Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq for the slot of chairman of the house while the PPP will designate Rehman Malik or Farook H Naek. Rehman Malik is publicly refuting the impression of his candidature but he could be compelled by his leadership in the end to contest for the office of the chairman, the sources indicated.