ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has fielded Dr Asif Saeed Kirmani as candidate for the elections on Senate seat that has fallen vacant after the resignation of Senator Babar Awan.
Dr Kirmani was special assistant to the prime minister on political affairs and hit prominence due to his fierce speeches in defence of Sharif family during the JIT investigation.
Dr Babar Awan was elected to Senate from Punjab on PPP ticket in March 2012 and his mandated six-year term would expire in March 2018.
He had tendered resignation from his Senate seat on June 29 after he had formally joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
On Tuesday, Dr Kirmani filed his nomination papers with the returning officer for the elections.
His covering candidate was former MPA Mohammad Noman, while another independent Sarfraz had filed the nomination papers.
Keeping in view, the one-sided elections in Punjab Assembly, the electoral college for these elections, the Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had not fielded candidates.
As Tuesday was the last date for filing of nomination papers, only three candidates including the one covering candidate of Dr Asif Kirmani had filed their nomination papers.
So the final contest would be between Dr Asif Kirmani and the independent candidate Sarfraz.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials the scrutiny of the nomination papers will be done on July 27th and the final list of candidates would be displayed on the same day.
The polling for these elections would be held on August 8th.
Sources in the ruling PML-N informed The Nation that the party was working on the independent candidate to get his nomination papers withdrawn to pave way for the unopposed elections of Dr Asif Kirmani as senator.
As former PPP Senator Dr Babar Awan was elected to the slot in March 2012 and his term would be expiring in upcoming March in 2018, so Dr Asif Kirmani would serve as senator on the remaining period of the term.
Sources in the party said that as the term of the seat vacated by Dr Babar Awan was coming to a culmination in March next, the heavyweights in the party showed little interest in it and preferred to wait for the senate elections due in March next year, when half of the Upper House members would retire.
Sources in the party said that Special Assistant to Prime Minister Irfan Siddiqui did lobby for the position but Dr Asif Kirmani outwit him for his closeness with the premier as he had impressed him with his fierce speeches in defence of his family during the JIT investigations.
Earlier, the role of Dr Kirmani during the general elections in AJK was quite impressive and he along with Senator Pervaiz Rasheed efficiently managed the elections and prime minister commended their role.