KARACHI: 24 more file nomination papers for Senate poll
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, Feb 13: A total of 33 candidates are in the run against the 11 Senate seats from Sindh for which election is scheduled to be held on March 6. The Election Commission had extended the time for the filing of nomination papers on the third and last day, Monday, till midnight for those who could not make it during the office hours for any reason.
Twenty-four candidates filed their nomination papers on Monday whereas six aspirants had turned up on Saturday and another three on Sunday to submit their papers. Of the 33 aspirants, 18 are contesting on seven general seats. For the two women seats, there are eight candidates and for the two technocrat seats, seven candidates are in the fray. Eight of the 33 contestants are independents.
One of the nomination papers filed for the technocrat seat is incomplete, i.e. without a proposer and seconder, it is learnt. Although, the candidates came from various parties and groups, and independents are also there, a close contest between major political parties/alliance is expected. On some seats, it will be between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Pakistan People’s Party, and on some other seats the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and any of the main opposition parties, the PPP and MMA, will face each other.
The election is being held to fill up the seats that have fallen vacant due to the retirement of 11 Senators — four of them belonging to the MQM, four to the PPP and two to the PML-Q.
The MQM has fielded two candidates against the general seats, three against the women seats and two against the technocrat seats. The PPP has fielded four candidates against the general seats, two against the women seats and two against the technocrat seats.
The PML-Q, which is faced with the grouping within involving Mahars and Shaikhs, has filed two nomination papers against the general seats and two against the women seats. It has fielded no candidate for the technocrat seats.
Meanwhile, the PML-Q’s ‘water vision group’ led by Mahar brothers has rushed its delegations to Islamabad and Lahore in its bid to persuade the party chief, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, to withdraw one of the two party tickets awarded to the candidates from Mirpurkhas for general seats, pleading that the ticket should be given to this group as it represented seven districts of upper Sindh.
If the delegation succeeded in convincing the PML chief, the ticket may go to Alim Adil Shaikh, who has filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate.
According to the election schedule, the scrutiny of nomination papers would be held on Tuesday (Feb 14) in presence of the candidates and their proposers and seconders. Provincial Election Commissioner Chaudhry Qamar-uz-Zaman has allocated different timings for different candidates for the purpose. The scrutiny of nominations for women seats candidates will be held at 10 whereas for aspirants of general seats it will be held at 11am and of technocrat seats at 1pm.
Observers believe that the MQM expects five seats (two general, two women and one technocrat) whereas PPP is striving for four seats (two general, one women and one technocrat). The PML-F candidate, backed by PML-Q, is vying for one general seat and the PML-Q is keen to secure two general seats.
The 18 candidates for seven general seats are: Ahmad Ali and Col(r) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of the MQM; Mian Raza Rabbani, Dr Safdar Ali, Abdul Latif Ansari and Haji Muzaffar Ali Shujra of the PPP; Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi and Kishanchand Parwani of the PML-Q; Justice (r) Abdul Razzaq Thaheem of the PML-F; and Muhammad Owais Siddiqui, Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro and Mohammad Hashim Siddiqui
of the MMA; besides the independents, Aleem Adil Shaikh, Mir Murtaza Ali Talpur, Abdul Saeed Qureshi, Dr Hasan Mehfooz Jaleesi, Syed Kabir Ahmad and Ashok Kumar.
The eight candidates for women seats are: Ms Abida Saif, Nighat Mirza Hina and Sabira Khatoon of the MQM; Ms Ratna Bhagwandas and Farzana Hanif of the PPP; Ms Seemeen Siddiqui and Leela alias Kalpna of the PML-Q; and Ms Saba Rabbani Tiwana (independent).
The seven candidates for technocrat are: Mohammad Saeed Siddiqui and Prof Abdul Khaliq Pirzada of the MQM; Dr Javaid Laghari and Karim Ahmed Khawaja of the PPP, Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro of the MMA; Syed Mehmood Hashmi of the NA; and Gul Mohammad of the PEIP.
