LAHORE, Feb 29: Pakistan People’s Party legislators made a pledge on Wednesday to help the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid secure a Senate seat in Friday’s election.
The PPP gave this assurance to the PML-Q at the meeting of two parties’ bigwigs at Governor’s House on Wednesday. Later, Governor Latif Khosa hosted a dinner in MPAs’ honour.
Most of PPP’s 106 and PML-Q’s 38 legislators, PML-Q leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Pervaiz Elahi and Moonis Elahi, President Asif Ali Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur and PPP’s Khurshid Shah, Nazar Gondal, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Jehangir Badr were also present.
Against the seven general seats, PML-N, PPP and PML-Q have fielded Zulfiqar Khosa, Zafarullah Dhandla, M. Hamza and Rafique Rijwana, Babar Awan and Aslam Gill and Kamil Ali Agha, respectively. PML-Q’s Mohsin Leghari is contesting the election independently.
Three parties’ hopes to get their senators elected unopposed were dashed after the Election Commission of Pakistan accepted the appeal of Mohsin Leghari to contest (the election).
“At least 47 votes are required to elect a senator. The PPP will have 12 extra voters after electing its two candidates and it has assured us that they will vote for the PML-Q candidate,” a PML-Q senior leader told Dawn. He said the PML-Q had 38 loyal MPAs after some 40 or so formed a forward bloc and with PPP’s 12 legislators there would be no issue to secure the seat for Agha.
PPP’s deputy parliamentary party leader Shaukat Basra told Dawn that it had been assured in the PPP and PML-Q meeting that former’s 12 MPAs would vote for latter’s candidate. “We have ensured that three candidates of coalition partners in the centre make their way to the upper house,” he said.
Agha said the PML-N would have to bank on the votes of the forward bloc to secure four seats. “Three seats of the PML-N are confirmed, while the fourth is dependent on the complete support of the forward bloc,” he said, adding that Mr Leghari might affect the fourth candidate of the PML-N.
On the other hand, Mr Leghari has been canvassing in all three parties, as he claims that a good number of legislators has assured him of support. “Apart from first priority votes, transferable second priority will play a crucial role,” he said, adding that he expected his colleagues to vote for him because his step had ‘empowered’ them otherwise they would not have used their right to vote.
