Seven senators elected unopposed from Punjab

LAHORE/ ISLAMABAD: Seven senators from different political parties were elected unopposed from Punjab on Wednesday.

Among those elected without facing any contest were Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) leaders Pervaiz Rasheed, Nasir Mehmood, Talal Chaudhry and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema, while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the candidate of the ruling alliance, was also elected.

Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC)-backed Raja Nasir Abbas and Hamid Khan were also among the newly-elected parliamentarians.

Mustafa Ramday withdrew his nomination papers for the technocrat seat, whereas Shahzad Waseem, Musadik Malik, Walid Iqbal and Umar Ijaz Cheema withdrew their nominations from the general seats.

Meanwhile, the meeting of the committee formed by Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to award the Senate ticket to Talha Mahmood for the general seat in the Senate, while Rubina Khalid will be the candidate for the women’s seat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The meeting of the committee was held with the chair of the central leader of Pakistan Peoples Party, Faryal Talpur, and attended by Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah, Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha, Shuja Khan and Faisal Karim Kundi. The Information Secretary of Pakistan Peoples Party, Faisal Karim Kundi, said after the meeting that on the instructions of the leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party, Fida Muhammad Khan and Qizar Khan Mian Khel had withdrawn from the Senate elections. Fida Muhammad Khan was the party’s candidate for the general seat and Qizar Khan Mian Khel was the candidate for the technocrat seat.

Kundi said that according to the decision, Talha Mahmood will be a candidate for the general seat in the Senate, while Rubina Khalid will be a candidate for the women’s seat. Talha Mahmood joined the PPP on Tuesday after leaving the JUI-F.