Senate elections: Parties make closed-door alliances to gain upper hand

PML-N, PPP reportedly in touch behind the scenes to agree on a formula for chairmanship, deputy-chairmanship of Senate

KARACHI: The anti-PML-N alliance and Pakistan Awami Tehreek's ‘political formula’ for protests is facing failure even before it started because of the differences between Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and their announcements that they are not going to resign from the assemblies nearing the Senate elections.

PAT has stepped back from its protest option because of the lack of interest of the two parties in the anti-ruling party protests and has decided to focus on its legal battle on Model Town strategy. PAT's legal team is mulling over the situation and will decide whether to approach the Supreme Court with approval from Dr Tahirul Qadri.



On the other hand. PTI has decided not to submit resignations and go into the Senate elections. With the announcement of the schedule of the Senate elections, the political leadership including Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, Imran Khan, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Asfand Yar Wali Khan, Dr Farooq Sattar and Senator Sirajul Haq have become active.

Temporary political alliances are expected for Senate seats for which parties are contacting other parties. PML-N and PPP want to get Senate's chairmanship and analysts expect horse trading to take place well before the Senate elections escalating the concoction between the parties in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP-) and Balochistan.

The leadership of PPP, PML-N, PTI, MQM-Pakistan, JUI-F, ANP and other parties are discussing finalisation of names of candidates from their parties which are expected to be announced soon. Important leaders of the parliamentary parties are busy lobbying to get party tickets from their parties.

Important opposition sources told The Express Tribune that Dr Tahirul Qadri failed to make Zardari and Imran sit on the same stage in the recent rally in Lahore. PAT leadership also expected that it could convince PPP and PTI leaders to agree to resign from the assemblies. However, Zardari delivered an anti-PML-N speech and departed, while Imran and Sheikh Rasheed cursed the parliament.

Qadri also failed to announce a plan of the protests in the rally.

Sources told The Express Tribune told that after this meeting, while PAT made an important effort to devise a joint strategy, PPP did not express willingness to tender resignations. This was followed by PTI, which also did not show interest in the resignation option. PAT leadership discussed the situation and decided not to push its anti-PML-N movement and to focus on its legal fight in Model Town strategy.

A PAT leader, on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that party will now try to create an election alliance and will consult like-minded parties on it.

Important PTI sources said that Imran is discussing the political situation with party leadership and PTI has decided to take part in the Senate elections. PTI will contact Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and like-minded parties in KP with a target to win six to seven seats.

PPP has also finalised its strategy for the Senate elections according to which it wants to win seats in Sindh as well as Balochistan. PPP is in contact with most parliamentarians in Balochistan after the PML-N government fell there as it currently does not have a single member in the Balochistan assembly. However, through political maneuvering, PPP wants to win four to five seats from the province. From Sindh it is trying to win eight or nine Senate seats and is also actively aiming to win one or two seats from Fata.

PML-N also has decided its strategy for reaching majority in the Senate. It can win 11 to 12 seats from Punjab and the party is also trying to win seats from Islamabad, Fata, KP and Balochistan. Nawaz is also actively working for this and the party will contact like-minded parties and will try to find a formula.



The most interesting situation about the Senate election will be witnessed in Fata, KP and Balochistan where various political parties will bargain to win more seats. In addition to these big parties, various other parties including JUI-F, MQM-P, PML-Q and ANP are also working on their strategies for the Senate elections.

The polling for Senate elections will be held on 3 March. Sources have told The Express Tribune that PML-N and PPP are in touch behind the scene to agree on a formula for the chairmanship and deputy-chairmanship of the upper house.

52 of the 104 senators are retiring in March. These include 12 each of K-P and Punjab, 11 each of Sindh and Balochistan, two from the federal capital and four from Fata. There are seven general, two technocrat and two women seats from all the four provinces in the forthcoming elections. Punjab and KP each also have one minority seat. The members of the provincial assemblies elect their senators, the federal members are elected by all the MNAs. The senator from Fata is elected by MNAs from Fata.