PPP nominates Murtaza Wahab for Senate by-election

Saeed Ghani had vacated the seat after winning the by-election in PS-114

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)- Parliamentarians has awarded its ticket to Barrister Murtaza Wahab for the Senate by-election from Sindh. The seat had fallen vacant after Saeed Ghani resigned when he won the provincial assembly election in Karachi PS-114, held on July 9.

Syed Najmi Alam will be the PPP-Parliamentarians' covering candidate for Barrister Wahab in the by-election, which has been scheduled for August 17. Son of deceased PPP leader Fouzia Wahab, Barrister Wahab has also served as law adviser to the chief minister. However, he resigned following the order of the Sindh High Court in February this year that declared that chief ministers were not empowered by the Constitution to appoint advisers.



Meanwhile, opposition parties in the Sindh Assembly have not yet decided whether or not to contest the Senate by-election. There are in total 168 seats in the provincial assembly, which is the electoral college for the Senate, out of which the PPP has around 60% seats. The remaining seats in the assembly are divided amongst the Muttahida Qaumi Movement - Pakistan,  Pakistan Muslim League - Functional, Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. If the opposition parties do not field any candidate, Barrister Wahab will be elected unopposed.

According to the schedule, the filing of nomination papers for the election starts today (August 3), while August 5 has been fixed for scrutiny of the papers. The last date for appeal against rejection of nomination papers is August 8, whereas the candidates will be allowed to withdraw before or on August 12, which is also the date when the final list of the candidates will be announced.