09 January 2004	Friday	16 Ziqa'ad 1424

KARACHI, Jan 8: Although 48 hours are left in the byelection for a vacant Senate seat from Sindh, there is a total chaos and confusion in the ranks and file of the joint opposition as well as ruling coalition as they have failed to put up consensus candidates.

Now after the passage of the date for withdrawals, six candidates are still in the run. However, a clear picture is likely to emerge after the passage of time for retirement, ie 12 noon, on Friday.

The candidates in the run are: Dr Mohammad Ali Brohi and Abrarul Haq (MQM), Azeem Chaudhry (PML), Mohammad Hashim Siddiqui (MMA) and Abdul Karim Khwaja (PPP).

The electoral college for the senate seat will be members of Sindh Assembly for which the polling will be held on Jan 10. The party position in the House is as follows:

PPP 59, Mohajir Qaumi Movement one, MMA eight, MQM 41, PML-Q 21, PML-F 13, National Alliance 16, PPP-Patriots five, PPP rebel two, MMA rebel two. Political observers were caught unawares as they learnt through electronic media that the PML chief, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, had disowned the consensus party candidate and had instead put all his weight in favour of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

Only a day ago, the PML leadership in Karachi had put up Shahabuddin Shah as a consensus candidate, and an announcement was made by PML-Q secretary general Saleem Saifullah Khan on Wednesday.

Chaudhry Shujaat's announcement was so shocking for Shahabuddin Shah that he, without waiting for the arrival of the Sindh chief minister from Lahore, reportedly opted for retirement. The CM had been instrumental in getting him nominated.

After his retirement, there are five candidates in the run - three from two main groups of the ruling coalition Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Pakistan Muslim League, a nominee of the National Alliance, and one candidate each from the Pakistan People's Party and the Muttahida Majlis-i- Amal.

Although the MQM has also put up two candidates, insiders believed that Dr Ali Mohammad Brohi would be the ultimate choice for the MQM who is likely to emerge as a winner in the byelection after his adoption as the lone candidate by the ruling coalition alliance.

Informed circles believed that Azeem Chaudhry (PML), Abrarul Haq (MQM) and Javed Jabbar (NA) may announce their retirement any time on Friday. Till Thursday night, the lose opposition alliance, comprising the PPP and the MMA, failed to reach a consensus on any one of the two candidates.

PPP, being the largest single party in the Sindh Assembly, says that the opposition's consensus candidate should be from their side while the MMA was not at all ready to leave the field for the PPP as the seat had fallen vacant after the death of their president, Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, who was elected on MMA ticket in the previous Senate elections.

Political circles are of the view that Chaudhry Shujaat had to intervene because of infighting among PML factions - one faction is led by the Sindh chief minister, Sardar Ali Mohammad Mahar, while the other is headed by the minister for population planning Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh.

The pressure on the PML chief mounted with the announcement of the name of Syed Shahabuddin Shah as Mahar's nominee. Mahar's rival group is of the view that if Sardar Mahar succeeds in getting the party ticket issued for his nominee, it would be a clear-cut message for them to make peace with the chief minister who would ultimately be able to strengthen his position in the PML and would weaken the rival group at least till the approval of next budget.