April 24, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 17, 1429

QUETTA, April 23: Ms Suryyia Amiruddin’s nomination papers for a technocrat’s seat in the Senate from Balochistan have been rejected, leaving Malik Mumtaz Mahfooz of the Pakistan People’s Party as the only candidate for the seat.

Sources in the Provincial Election Commission said that Mr Mahfooq would be declared elected unopposed.

For a vacant general seat, the PPP and the Balochistan National Party (BNP-Awami) have announced support for Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl).

Besides Maula Haideri, seven candidates are in the run for the seat – Hafiz Hamdullah of the JUI-F, Mir Baz Khan Khetiran, Mazoor Ahmed Gichki and Javed Ahmed of the PPP, Manzoor Mengal, Mamoon Khan Jogezai and Haider Khan Nasar.

Appeals against rejection of acceptance of nomination papers may be filed on Thursday and decisions would be announced on April 26.

The decision about PPP’s support for Maulana Haideri was taken at a meeting between Balochistan’s Chief Minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani and the JUI-F’s provincial chief Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani.

A JUI-F delegation headed by Maulana Sherani also held a meeting with BNP-Awami president Senator Israrullah Zehri and Mir Asadullah Baloch to seek support for the JUI-F’s candidate.