Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Assistant on Political Affairs, Asif Kirmani has been appointed Senator, replacing Babar Awan with hardly any opposition, Dawn News reported on Thursday.

Apart from Kirmani, only Mohammad Noman of the PML-N and Sarfaraz Qureshi, an independent candidate, had submitted nomination papers after Awan's resignation. Later, Mohammad Noman withdrew his nomination.

Babar Awan had resigned from his Senate seat after he parted ways with Pakistan People's Party to join Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

Awan, who was elected senator on a PPP ticket in March 2012, had submitted his resignation from the membership of the upper house of parliament on June 30.

"I left my ministry in pursuit of justice. Even leaving the Senate to join PTI was a challenge," Awan had said at the time.

He was required to cede his seat and sever all relations with the PPP as under the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, the defection clause does not allow any parliamentarian to retain his position in the previous political party if he joins any other party.

Another PML-N candidate, Agha Shahzaib Durrani has been appointed Senator from Balochistan. He was appointed in place of his relative, Agha Shahbaz Durrani, who passed away from a cardiac arrest on June 25.

The number of PML-N Senators is now 26, making them the Senate's majority party.