LAHORE, Feb 18: Candidates for all the 11 Senate seats up for grabs from Punjab were elected unopposed on Wednesday as a result of an understanding among the Pakistan Muslim League-N, Pakistan People’s Party and the PML-Q.

Six seats went to the PML-N, four to the PPP and one to the PML-Q.

PML-N’s Zafar Ali Shah, Mushahidullah Khan, Pervaiz Rashid and Raja Zafrul Haq; PPP’s Jehangir Badr and Malik Salahuddin Dogar; and PML-Q’s Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain were elected on general seats. PML-N’s Najma Hameed and PPP’s Syeda Sughra Imam were elected on women’s seats.

PPP’s Mohammad Kazim Khan and PML-N’s Prof Sajid Mir were elected on technocrats’ seats.

Ejazul Hasan, Aurangzeb Burki, Khawaja Akbar and Shahida Jabeen of the PPP and Zakia Shahnawaz of the PML-N withdrew their nomination papers. The parties had agreed to field candidates in accordance with their strength in the provincial assembly.

Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said the PML-N had not struck any deal with the PML-Q, but reached an understanding that each other’s mandate should be respected.

Nisar, Ishaq Dar congratulate Shujaat

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-N leaders Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Ishaq Dar called PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Wednesday and congratulated him on his victory in Senate elections.

According to PML-Q information secretary Tariq Azeem Khan, the PML-N leaders felicitated Chaudhry Shujaat on behalf of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and expressed the hope that cooperation between the two parties would continue.

Chaudhry Nisar is the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly and Ishaq Dar is the parliamentary leader of the PML-N in the Senate.—Ahmed Hassan