QUETTA: All political parties having representation in the Balochistan Assembly were found busy in holding meetings with each other on Wednesday and seeking votes for their candidates contesting the Senate elections.

Federal Minister for Railways and PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique spent a busy day in Quetta, meeting his party’s MPAs and asking them to vote for the candidates nominated by the party amid reports that some of them were not happy over the party policy vis-à-vis the Senate elections.

He was accompanied by federal ministers Abdul Qadir Baloch and Jam Kamal Khan and PM’s additional secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad.

Know more: Jan Jamali refuses to withdraw his daughter in favour of PML-N candidate

They were part of a negotiation team sent by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to ensure that PML-N lawmakers vote for the candidates selected by the party’s central parliamentary board in Balochistan.

Twenty-six candidates are in the run for 12 vacant seats from Balochistan. Provincial election commissioner Sultan Bayizeed told Dawn that six candidates withdrew from the contest on Wednesday. Twelve candidates were contesting on seven general seats, five for two seats reserved for women, five for two seats reserved for technocrats/ulema and four for one minority seat.

Also read: Saad Rafique fails to bridge rift within PML-N

All parties vowed to curb horse-trading and urged lawmakers to discourage independent candidates.

Six independent candidates are in the run.

According to sources, the PML-N’s stalwarts’ meetings with the party legislators remained unsuccessful as some of them refused to support the party candidates.

Balochistan Assembly Speaker Mir Jan Mohammad Khan Jamali had already turned down PML-N leaders’ request to withdraw his daughter Sana Jamali who is contesting on a reserved woman seat against PML-N ticket-holder Kalsoom Perveen who was elected twice to the Senate – first on a PML-Q ticket and then as independent candidate with the support of Balochistan National Party-Awami.

PML-N sources said that most of the party MPAs had expressed reservations over the award of party ticket to Ms Perveen. The PML-N leadership failed to resolve differences within the party over the issue of awarding party tickets.

PML-N fielded two candidates for general, one for technocrat, one for women and one for minority seats.

“I doubt the party can win five Senate seats in this situation,” a PML-N MPA told Dawn, adding that if the party won two seats this would be a big achievement.

The PML-N leaders also made efforts to contest the election jointly with the National Party and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, but they refused to do so and said they had already made seat adjustment. The National Party put its President Mir Hasil Bezenjo on general seat, Malik Kabir Mohammad Shahi on technocrat and Dr Ashok Kumar on minority seat. The PkMAP will contest on two general seats and a woman seat.

BNP-Mengal fielded Dr Jahanzeb Jamaldani.

Sardar Akhtar Mengal held meetings with the JUI-F, ANP, BNP-Awami and independent member Tariq Hussain Magsi.

“We are fighting against horse-trading and will contest the election jointly,” JUI-F Maulana Ghafoor Haideri, who is a candidate for a general seat, said.

The JUI-F fielded three candidates for general, technocrat and minority seats.

The PML-Q also refused to support PML-N candidates, although it is a PML-N ally in Balochistan.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2015

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