LAHORE, Feb 10: Nawaz League chairman Raja Zafarul Haq has demanded fresh schedule for the election of the Upper House of parliament after the Supreme Court’s decision whereby the law disqualifying those defeated in the general elections from taking part in the Senate polls has been struck down.

Unless this was done, he told reporters, the apex court’s judgment would benefit only the petitioners or those who had already filed their nomination papers.

Raja said fairness demanded that all losers should be given equal opportunity to contest and this would be possible only when a fresh schedule was announced.

PML-Q acting president Gen Majeed Malik (retired) said the Supreme Court decision was welcome, but there was no need for a fresh schedule for the Senate elections.

He said already the elections for the Senate had been delayed for long because of which parliament was not complete in its composition. Fresh schedule, he said, would further delay its completion.

He said his party would prefer the Senate elections held according to the already given schedule.

ARD president Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan said all election laws had been tailored to suit the interests of the rulers.

Talking to journalists, he said disallowing the defeated candidates from contesting the Senate elections negated the spirit of the parliamentary system. He said those who had framed such laws must be held responsible for damaging national interests.

He did not come up with a clear answer when asked if a fresh schedule was needed for the Senate elections to enable the losers to file their nomination papers.

He said the situation facing the country at present demanded that Gen Musharraf should take back all unconstitutional steps taken by him and quit.