ISLAMABAD, Oct 26: Many prominent political and non-political people, including some federal ministers, are in the queue for the Senate ticket from the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), which has emerged as the single largest party in the Oct 10 elections.

When contacted by Dawn, a senior government official explained that the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and others linked their future assistance with the continuation of existing economic policies. “And that is why the ministers like Shaukat Aziz will most likely be retained in the future government to satisfy the donors”, he added.

Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider, Communications and Railways Minister Javed Ashraf Kazi, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, Law Minister Khalid Ranjha and Information Minister Nisar M. Memon are said to be the main aspirants for the party tickets to the Senate.

Sources at the PML-Q say parliamentary leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain of the party has been contacted directly or indirectly by some federal ministers to acquire the PML-Q tickets.

The sources also confirm that Minister for Science and Technology Dr Prof Ataur Rehman, who has been made the chairman of the Higher Education Commission for three years with the status of a federal minister, will be retained by the future elected government.

Chaudhry Shujaat, the sources said, may convene a meeting of the parliamentary party on Oct 31 to discuss the issue. “But there exist more chances for Shaukat Aziz and Javed Ashraf Kazi to get the party ticket,” a source said, confirming that some important government officials were also in touch with the PML-Q leadership in this connection.

However, the sources said that so far no cabinet minister of the Musharraf government had formally applied for the ticket. However, some of them have reportedly collected nomination papers from the party.

On the other hand, most of the defeated PML-Q leaders in the Oct 10 polls— including Begum Abida Hussain, Syed Fakhr Imam and Anwar Haq Ramay— are also vying for the party ticket to the Senate.

Some important party leaders, who could not contest the election being non-graduates— Gen Majid Malik and Ghulam Sarwar Cheema— are also in the run.

But there exist differences in the PML-Q on the issue of awarding the Senate tickets to those who were defeated in the polls. In this regard, the sources said, some people called for getting an old and lapsed ordinance re-promulgated. This law debars failed candidates from obtaining the Senate ticket.