KARACHI - The Pakistan People’s Party and its allies - the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and PML-F - on Wednesday struck an agreement regarding seat adjustment for the upcoming Senate elections.
As per the formula being adopted for adjustment of 12 Senate seats, seven will go to the PPP, four to the MQM and one to the PML-F. The PPP has been struggling to get all candidates from the ruling coalition elect unopposed. But it appears difficult since the PML-Q Likeminded is not interested in withdrawing nomination papers of its candidates. Nevertheless, the PPP has asked PML-Q Likeminded leader Ghaffar Qureshi to renounce his and Yasmeen Farukh’s candidature. It is anticipated that candidates from the PPP’s partners will still more easily win, if the PML-Q Likeminded does not surrender because it has only four seats that cannot help it clinch any seat in the Senate.
According to the formula, Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh of the PPP will have technocrat seat, Haram Ram Kashori Lal minority seat, Ajiz Dhamra, Saeed Ghani, Dr Kareem Khwaja and Mian Raza Rabbani will be elected on general seats. A Senate seat for women will go to Sahar Kamran or Shahida Rehmani of the PPP. PML-F’s candidate Muzaffar Hussain Shah has been nominated for general seat. The seats given to the MQM will have Barrister Farogh Naseem on technocrat seat, Nasreen Jalil or Naila Lateef on women seat and Mustafa Kamal and Kanwar Naveed Jamil on general seats.
The covering candidates of the PPP and MQM will withdraw their nomination papers as per the agreement between the two parties.