PML-N sweeps Punjab; PPP, MQM recapture Sindh in Senate polls

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz got 16 Senate seats from across all the provinces. Pakistan People’s Party has bagged seven seats, MQM four and Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party and National Party three each.  Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and Balochistan National Party-Mengal have got one seat each.  One independent candidate has also won from Balochistan.

As many as 131 candidates contested for 48 seats of Senate.

PML-N sweeps Punjab:

According to unofficial results, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has won all eleven seats of Senate from Punjab.

Those who have been elected against general seats are Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, Minister for Climate Change Mushahidullah, Ch Tanwir, Saleem Zia, retired Lt General Abdul Qayyum, Ghaus Khan Niazi and Nehal Hashmi.

Raja Zafarul Haq and Prof Sajid Mir have been elected against seats reserved for technocrats while Najma Hameed, and Ayesha Raza against seats reserved for women.

PPP, MQM recapture Sindh:

Four candidates from Sindh have already been elected unopposed including Farooq H. Naek and Sassui Palejo of the PPP and Barrister Muhammad Saif and Nighat Mirza of the MQM.  While Engineer Gianchand, Islamuddin Sheikh, Abdul Latif Ansari, Rehman Malik and Salim Mandviwala of PPP are elected from Sindh on Senate general seats. Similarly MQM candidates – Mian Muhammad Ateeq and Khushbakht Shujaat bagged victories from Sindh on general seats.

According to unofficial results, strength of MQM members in Senate has reached 8.

Balochistan:

In Balochistan’s Senate elections Niamatullah Zehri of PML-N, Abdul Ghafoor Haidery of JUI-F, Usman Kakar and Sardar Mohammad Azam Khan of Pakhtunkhuwa Milli Awami Party, Hasil Khan Bazenjo of National Party, Dr Jahanzaib Jamaldini of BNP (Mengal), and Yousaf Badeni (independent) have been elected.

Mir Kabir Ahmed of National Party and Engineer Agha Shahbaz Khan Durrani of PML-N were elected as senator on Technocrats while Kalsoom Perveen of PML-N and Gul Bashra of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party won the elections on women reserved seats.

Dr Ashok Kumar of National Party was elected as Senator on minority seat.

Federal Capital: 

PML-N candidates have won both the Senate seats from the Federal Capital.

In the polling held at the National Assembly hall today, the party’s candidate against general seat Iqbal Zafar Jhagra secured 211 votes.

Raheela Magsi, also of PML-N, bagged 205 votes to win the seat reserved for women from Islamabad.

Results awaited in KP:

In KP, the time was extended till 8pm which has now been ended. The polling could not start on specified 8am in the KP Assembly for five hours due to Opposition’s protest against alleged rigging. Twenty-five candidates are contesting election for 12 seats in the Province.

Polling to fill 48 vacant seats of Senate held at the National Assembly Islamabad and the four provincial assemblies.

ROs elections?

PPP leader Nadeem Afzal Chan termed the Senate polls as ‘ROs elections’.

Talking to media outside Punjab Assembly, Chan said PPP could have bagged more votes in Punjab had it invested money into the polls.

Ordinance challenged:

A total of 125 candidates vied for representation in the Upper House.

The members of NA elected two Senators from Islamabad. MNAs from FATA will elect four Senators, however enactment of presidential ordinance last night has been challenged in the court, leading to postponement of Senate elections in the tribal region.

The polling for the Senate Seats reserved for Punjab was also held in Provincial Assembly building in Lahore.

In Balochistan, the polling held in Provincial Assembly. Twenty-six candidates are in the run for twelve seats of the Senate.

Meanwhile, a presidential ordinance was issued under which the members from FATA will be entitled to cast only one vote.