LAHORE, Feb 11: Six candidates for the Senate from Punjab filed their nominations with the election commission here on Saturday. Provincial election commissioner Ayaz Beg received the papers which could be filed for two more days, till Feb 13.

Former finance minister and senator Ishaq Dar (PML-N), accompanied by MPs Rana Sanaullah, Pervez Malick, Rana Mashhud, Bilal Yasin, Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor and party leaders, was the first to reach the commission offices.

He was followed by federal education minister Javed Ashraf Qazi, adviser to prime minister Muhammad Ali Durrani, Naeem Husain Chattha, Gulshan Saeed and State Minister for Women Welfare Nilofer Bakhtiar — all from the ruling PML.

Provincial ministers, including Tahir Ali Javed, Qudsia Lodhi, Rana Qasim, Mushtaq Kiani and Ijaz Shafi accompanied the PML nominees who arrived to file nominations one by one after a meeting with Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi.

Except Gulshan Saeed and Nilofer Bakhtiar, hopefuls for Senate seats reserved for women, all other candidates have filed papers against seven general seats.

A handful of PML women activists, accompanying Ms Bakhtiar, reached the commission office before the minister and continued raising slogans praising the party elders for ‘just’ distribution of tickets.

The minister reached the Election Commission offices after office hours. However, her papers were accepted.