‘United’ we stand: Opposition to ‘jointly’ contest Senate elections

KARACHI:

The opposition parties in Sindh have started consultation with each other to contest the Senate elections jointly against the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

The elections on 11 vacant seats are expected to be held on March 3. The consultations for joint contest have started between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F).

As a precautionary move, the PPP has reached out to Rehman Malik to woo the MQM to their side. "We have cordial relations with the MQM and I hope an understanding will evolve between us," Malik told the media.

According to the election commission, 11 senators from Sindh are going to retire by mid-March. Eight of them, Farooq H Naek, Rehman Malik, Abdul Qayyum Soomro, Salim Mandviwalla, Maula Bux Chandio, Gul Muhammad Lot, Islamuddin Shaikh and Almas Parveen, belong to the PPP, while three of them, Abdul Haseeb Khan, Babar Ghauri and Shirala Mallick, belong to the MQM.

Seven of these are general seats, two are for women and two for technocrats or ulemas. Around 22 MPA votes are required to elect a senator contesting the general seat, explained an election commission official, who added that those contesting the special seats need 57 votes.

Right now in the Sindh Assembly, the PPP has 91 MPAs, MQM has 51, PML-F has 11, PML-N has 10 and PTI has four lawmakers, whose status is unclear at the moment.  One seat is vacant after PML-N MPA Irfanullah Marwat was disqualified.

On the other hand, PPP has convened a party meeting on February 6 at Bilawal House to allot tickets to its members. PPP's Rehman Malik is a candidate for yet another tenure along with Raza Rabbani, claimed a party official.

On the question of the Senate chairperson, Malik admitted he had no idea. "Raza Rabbani will be the appropriate candidate," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2015.