Balochistan assembly. Whatever ‘horse-trading’ took place pertained to these two seats. The Pakistan Television said that Badini was backed by the PML-N.
Balochistan Speaker Jan Jamali, belonging to the PML-N, faced humiliation as his daughter he had sponsored as independent, openly defying the party discipline, was routed.As predicted much before the polling in Punjab and Sindh, there was unusual activity here and every parliamentary party got as many Senate seats as were due to them as per their numerical power.
As usual the government acted belatedly by promulgating a presidential order changing the procedure of voting for the Fata candidates although what was introduced was positive.
However, the confused Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had no powers not to hold the election for Fata senators because it was not barred by any court although the order had been challenged in the Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court.
According to the previous method, brought in by Pervez Musharraf, every Fata member of the National Assembly was supposed to give four preferences to the competitors in the field. This means that a cluster of only six MNAs (out of the existing 11 MPs) was enough to elect four senators, thus rendering five other MNAs irrelevant. The presidential order dispensed with this method and introduced one man one vote system.
The PML-N, having three Fata MNAs, was going to be deprived of election of even one senator, which persuaded it to issue the presidential order. However, it was imprudent to promulgate it at the last minute. It could have been done a few weeks before the polling, foreseeing the situation.
As per the results of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan, the PML-N’s total tally now stands at 24 senators (eight sitting and sixteen newly elected ones). Apart from the clean sweep in Punjab by winning all the eleven seats, the PML-N also got both the seats from the federal capital and three from Balochistan.
Sitting independent Senator Mohsin Leghari from Punjab already supports the PML-N. Its allies including the National Party (NP) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) bagged three seats each in Balochistan. In addition, Badini and Jamaldini are likely to go with the PML-N in the election of the Senate chairman and his deputy.
On the other hand, the PPP now has 26 senators including 19 previous and seven newly elected ones. Given the bonhomie prevailing between the two parties, the MQM may support the PPP in the Senate chief’s election.
Besides, the Jamiat Ulemae Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) now has four senators, three previous and one elected from Balochistan. It is now close to the PPP but at the same time it is also a partner in the PML-N led ruling coalition at the federal level.
Importantly, the PML-N elected three figures - Nihal Hashmi, Saleem Zia and Dr Raheela Magsi, two from Punjab and one from Islamabad. Similarly, it elected a leader from the KP Zafar Iqbal Jhagra from the federal capital.
Most of the newly elected senators are old faces, who have been members of the Upper House of Parliament.In KP, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak made hectic efforts to get the elections postponed fearing desertions, but in vain.