ISLAMABAD, Jan 14: The People’s Party Parliamentarians announced on Tuesday the final list of party candidates with the hope to win more than 20 seats in the forthcoming Senate elections.
Before the formal announcement, the candidates from the NWFP and the federal capital took oath to remain steadfast to the party and not to switch sides after being elected on the party ticket.
The arrangements to record the oath were also made at the party central secretariat where the final list of the candidates from the four provinces and the federal capital was announced jointly by Naheed Khan and NWFP PPP President Khawaja Mohammad Hoti.
“We have voluntarily took oath on the Holy Quran,” said Qamar Abbas, a party candidate from the NWFP.
In presence of several other candidates, Abbas said they strongly “condemn the defection in the party and switching of loyalties.”
Naheed said they were hoping to get nine to 10 seats from Sindh, five to six from Punjab, three to four from the NWFP and one from Balochistan.
The name of Taj Haider was conspicuously missing from the list of candidates from Sindh where the party is in comfortable position to get nine to 10 seats.
Former senator and PPP acting secretary-general Raza Rabbani’s name was on the top of the list from Sindh followed by Dr Safdar Abbasi, Dr Abdullah, Dr Karim Khawaja, Anwer Baig, Abdul Lateef Ansari, Nafees Siddiqui and Zaki Azam. Rukhsana Zubairi and Maleeha Soomro got the party ticket on seats reserved for women.
“We received more than 200 applications” and the short-listing was very hard, was the reply of Naheed when journalists asked about the omission of Taj Haider’s name from the list.
Abdul Lateef Khosa, Sajjad Bukhari, Ahsan-ul-Haque Piracha, Abdul Qadir Shaheen and S.M. Masood have been nominated as party candidates from Punjab while Sajida Mir, a diehard worker, got ticket to contest election on women seat.
Party nominated B.A. Malik, Dr Farrukh Saleem and Nishat Afza to contest elections from the federal capital.
Party candidates from the NWFP are: Qamar Abbas, Farhatullah Baber, Miraj H. Khan, Mushtari Begum, Shazia Tamas and Sardar Ali.
Naheed refuted the allegation that during the general elections they had sold the party tickets.
She said those who had betrayed the party for some petty gains had been indulging in such mudslinging against the party.
