Senate’s top posts: Nawaz to woo political outfits

Directs all 11 Senate candidates from Punjab to organise events in honour of MPAs

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has taken the ruling party’s affairs into his own hands after choosing to directly approach other political parties in a bid to gain their support for the party’s nominees for Senate’s top posts after the March 5 polls. 

The premier took the decision in view of the developing situation in connection with the Senate elections and Pakistan Peoples Party’s efforts to make alliances with other smaller parliamentary groups, including one of the government’s allies, the JUI-F.

Due to the PPP’s recent alliances, the main opposition party is likely to be able to keep its control over the upper house and get its lawmakers elected at the top slots.

According to an official statement from the PM House, the premier, who is also the PML-N’s president, has directed all the party’s MNAs and MPAs to ensure their attendance in the assembly sessions, taking place this week in connection with the Senate election.

However, sources said the PM has redirected and devised various strategies for different provinces in order to make sure his party bags more Senate seats and later succeeds in getting its men installed as Senate’s chairperson and deputy chairperson.

Dinner strategy

Sources said the PM has directed all 11 Senate candidates contesting from Punjab to organise dinners in honour of MPAs, who are in their panels. The PML-N has made seven panels for seven candidates, who are contesting Senate election on general seats.

Out of seven panels, four are comprised of 45 MPAs each while three consist of 44 MPAs each. The PML-N has a strength of 312 MPAs in the 371-seat Punjab Assembly.

The MPAs from two divisions of South Punjab – DG Khan and Bahawalpur – have been placed in the panel of Dr Ghous Niazi who belongs to Khushab and can speak Seiraiki.

The first dinner in this connection was held on Monday evening at a local hotel in Lahore, where more than 45 MPAs belonging to South Punjab participated. The PML-N’s Senate candidate Dr Ghous Niazi arranged this dinner and requested the MPAs to vote for him on March 5.

The PML-N ignored South Punjab in the Senate elections and awarded three Senate tickets to its candidates belonging to Karachi. The party fears that this decision may result in defections of some of its South Punjab MPAs.

The MPAs, belonging to Multan and Sahiwal, have been placed in the panel that will cast their vote for Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid.

The MPAs, who belong to Lahore division and women on reserved seats, have been placed in the group to vote for the PML-N’s candidate Chaudhry Tanveer.

Strategy in Balochistan, K-P

The PM has directed party officials in both the provinces to adopt whatsoever strategy they find suitable to guarantee the success of party candidates. Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique has also left for Balochistan, where he will meet party leaders and pave the way for the party’s success.

The PML-N has a strength of 22 MPAs in Balochistan Assembly and has fielded six candidates for Senate election. The PM Nawaz Sharif has asked the PML-N’s Balochistan President Sardar Sanaullah Khan Zehri to make sure success of all party candidates.

However, Zehri is involved in campaigning for only two of the candidates, who are his close relatives.

In K-P, the PML-N has 17 MPAs but it has fielded only one candidate. Sources said the K-P Governor Sardar Mehtab Khan Abbasi is trying hard to persuade party MPAs to vote for party candidate Salahuddin Tirmizi.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2015.