ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday issued notifications of success of 47 candidates in the recent Senate elections but withheld the announcement about five newly elected senators for allegedly holding dual nationalities.

Those senators-elect whose notification has been blocked are: PML-N backed independent candidates Nuzhat Sadiq, Haroon Akhter and Saeeda Abbasi, Chaudhry Sarwar of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) from Punjab and Kuhda Babar, an independent candidate from Balochistan.

Recently, the Supreme Court directed the five senators-elect to submit affidavits that they had ‘permanently’ and ‘irrevocably’ renounced and surrendered their foreign nationality.

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar issued this directive while heading a three-judge bench hearing a suo motu case against dual nationality of judges, officials of the court and government and members of parliament at the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry.

The ECP issued the notifications of success of 47 candidates in the Senate polls after they submitted details of their assets.

Announcement about five others withheld over dual nationality

Eight of the senators-elect are from Punjab, 12 from Sindh, 11 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10 from Balochistan, two from Islamabad and four from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

The eight senators-elect from Punjab are former finance minister Ishaq Dar, Rana Mahmoodul Hassan, Musadik Malik, Rana Maqbool Ahmed, Dr Asif Kirmani, Shaheem Khalid Butt (general seats) and Hafiz Abdul Karim and Kamran Michael elected on reserved seats.

Of 11 senators elected from Balochistan, the notification has been issued for 10, including Muhammad Akram of the National Party, Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, Ahmed Khan, Anwarul Haq Kakar and Sardar Muhammad Shafiq Tareen, independents, and Maulvi Faiz Muhammad of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F. From the province, Tahir Bizenjo of the NP and independent candidate Naseebullah Bazai have been elected on reserved seats for technocrats and Abida Muhammad Azeem and Sana Jamali, both independents, on reserved seats for women.

The notification has been issued for 12 senators-elect from Sindh, including Keshoo Bai aka Krishana Kumari and Quratulain Marri of the PPP, elected on reserved seats for women, and Anwar Lal Dean, elected on reserved seat for non-Muslims.

Those notified on general seats are incumbent chairman of the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, Moula Bux Chandio, Syed Muhammad Ali Shah Jamote and Imamuddin Shouqeen of the PPP; Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah of the PML-F, Muhammad Naseem Farogh of the MQM-P and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, who belongs to a prominent political family of Islamabad.

Asad Ali Khan Junejo, son of former premier Muhammad Khan Junejo, and Mushahid Hussain Syed are the PML-N supported independent senators-elected from Islamabad notified by the ECP.

The four independent senators-elect from Fata notified by the ECP are PML-N backed candidates Shamim Afridi and Mirza Muhammad Afridi and Hidayatullah and Hilalur Rehman.

The ECP has notified 11 senators-elect from KP, including PML-N backed independent candidates Pir Sabir Shah and Dilawar Khan, Faisal Javed, Muhammad Ayub, Fida Muhamamd, Azam Swati and Mehar Taj Roghani of the PTI, Robina Khalid and Behramand of the PPP, Talha Mehmood of the JUI-F and Mushtaq Ahmed of Jamaat-i-Islami.

The newly elected senators are scheduled to take oath on March12.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2018