ISLAMABAD, Feb 12: The total number of candidates who filed nomination papers till Sunday reached 63 after 38 more candidates from Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) filed their papers for Senate seats. No papers were filed from Islamabad and Balochistan on Sunday.

The Election Commission said nine nomination papers were filed in Punjab, three in Sindh, 14 in the NWFP and 12 from Fata. On Saturday, 25 candidates had submitted their nomination papers.

According to the ECP, nine nominations were filed by candidates belonging to the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP), eight to the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), four of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML), three of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), one each of the Awami National Party (ANP) and the PPP(Sherpao). Twelve independent candidates had filed nomination papers on Sunday, he said.

Those who filed nomination papers for Senate seats from Punjab are: Sajida Mir, Akbar Khawaja (two papers), Nargis Perveen Awan, Dr Zaheeruddin Babar Awan, Syed Sajjad Hussain Bokhari, Dr Israr Hussain Shah (of the PPP), S.M. Zafar and Syed Javed Ali Shah (both of the PML).

From Sindh, three MQM candidates -- Sabira Khatoon, Mohammad Saeed Siddiqui and Prof Dr Abdul Khaliq Pirzada -- submitted their papers.

From the NWFP, PPP’s Farhatulah Babar and Prof Khursheed Ahmed and Azam Swati of the MMA submitted their nomination papers for general and technocrat seats. Mohammad Ghufran Khan (PPP-S), Ilyas Ahmed Bilour (ANP), Syed Murad Ali Shah, Dr Talha Mehmood, Syed Hidayatullah Shah, Maulana Gul Naseeb (all MMA), Ammar Ahmed Khan and Fouzia Fakharuz Zaman (both of the PML) submitted their papers.

From Fata, 12 candidates submitted their papers: Ghulam Sarwar, Hafiz Rasheed Ahmed, Fazal Khaliq, Nasir Jamal, Abdul Raziq, Shoukatullah, Hidayatullah, Syed Shah Hussain, Mohammad Ayub, Mohammad Ajmal Khan, Tahir Iqbal and Syed Sajjad Hussain.