RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: While February 8, is the last date for filing nomination papers for the Senate elections, scheduled on March 3, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is facing pressure over award of party tickets, it has been learnt.

Some choices are obvious, a PML-N MNA said regarding the PML-N’s possible picks in Punjab. The party leadership is likely to nominate Asif Kirmani and Ishaq Dar for re-election on the Senate’s general and technocrat seats, respectively, from Punjab, the source said, adding: Raja Zafarul Haq, Saud Majeed, Kamran Michael are other definite choices.

The sources claim that the PML-N is striving to secure its majority in the upper house of the Parliament after March 3 polls, with the election of at least 15 of its new lawmakers. However, the sources added the PML-N is facing pressure in award of party ticket in the Senate elections. Keeping in view the present strength of the ruling party in the national and the provincial assemblies, the PML-N is striving to secure at least 15 seats in the upcoming Senate elections, thus taking its total strength to 33 in the upper house.

It is, however, being said that the PML-N would lose its three expected seats from the Balochistan Assembly after a number of its MPAs recently switched loyalty, the sources said. At present, the PML-N is a majority party in the Senate with 27 seats and nine of its lawmakers are set to retire on March 11 after completing their six-year term. However, at least 15 new lawmakers of the PML-N would make their way in to the house, raising the total number of its senators to 33.

The PML-N is considering names of Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Sartaj Aziz and Mushahid Hussain Sayed as the PML-N candidates from Islamabad for Senate.

Sartaj Aziz remained PML-N’s senior vice-president but has not been assigned any party portfolio after Sharif restructured the PML-N’s Central Working Committee and Central Executive Committee in December last year. Mushahid was the PML-Q Secretary General but quit the position in January last year.

Apart from Islamabad, consultations in the PML-N are on to pick candidates from the KPK and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the name of party’s former provincial president Pir Sabir Shah is under review, the sources said, adding: “Other candidates backed by Prime Minister’s Aviation Adviser Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan, PML-N’s Provincial President Ameer Muqam, National Assembly Deputy Speaker and PML-N KP General Secretary Murtaza Javed Abbasi are also reportedly under consideration.”

The sources said the PML-N candidates for the Senate from Balochistan and Fata have not yet been finalized, as the PML-N leadership is holding consultation to counter the PPP’s moves, mainly in Balochistan.

The sources said that the PML-N leadership may accommodate the candidates backed by the N-League’s aggrieved provincial president in Balochistan, Sanaullah Zehri, who had to quit as the chief minister ahead of the no-confidence motion against him in the wake of reported lack of support to him by the PML-N leadership, the party sources said. On the other hand, the sources claim that the PML-Q has declined to withdraw its candidate Kamil Ali Agha in favour of a PTI candidate. PML-Q leaders Chaudhry Shujat Hussein and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi have sought cooperation of the PPP for their candidate in the Senate election from Punjab.

Elahi said that the PML-Q had supported the PPP government in the past and chances of an alliance or some sort of partnership between the two parties were bright.