MQM, PML-F seek to defeat PPP in Senate polls

Karachi
With the announcement of the Senate elections on 52 seats, a meeting was held between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) on Thursday to formalise a strategy for the polls scheduled to be conducted on March 3.
Consultations among other political parties have commenced as well to jointly contest the Senate elections against the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
An MQM delegation headed by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui met PML-F chief Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi at the latter’s residence.
Siddiqui was accompanied by Dr Farooq Sattar, Haider Abbas Rizvi, Barrister Farogh Naseem and Kanwar Naveed Jameel.
Besides discussing the elections, Sindh also came under discussion, especially the deteriorating law and order situation in the province.
Rashdi later told the media that Pir Pagara had also convened a meeting on February 9 to decide the future course of action with regard to the Senate polls.
Siddiqui told the press that the meeting aimed to strengthen the opposition parties in Sindh, as the ruling PPP had failed to deliver and the law and order situation had reached the point of no return. He said the opposition was united in the Sindh Assembly, where they had a joint leader.
The political parties that have a presence in the House have started finalising their candidates for the 11 vacant seats from Sindh.
Before making the final announcement, consultations between the parties have commenced to jointly contest the Senate elections for securing more seats to weaken the PPP’s position.
Of the 11 seats, seven are general seats and two each reserved for technocrats/ulema and women.
In view of their parliamentary strength in the provincial assembly, the PPP and the MQM are the only two parties that could send their representatives to the Upper House of the Parliament.
According to the website of the Sindh Assembly, the PPP has 91 members in the House, the MQM 51, the PML-F 11, the Nawaz League eight, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf four and the National People’s Party two.
According to the formula, each of them needs 21 votes to win the Senate elections. If the PML-F and the MQM join hands, the former could also get one senator from Sindh.
Thursday’s meeting between the PML-F and the MQM holds more importance because while the latter could get three senators, with the support of the former the party could be able to take one more seat.