PPP looks to benefit from MQM-P’s internal bickering

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Friday asked the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) members of provincial assemblies for support in Senate elections on March 3.

PPP MPA Saeed Ghani said that the party would take benefit from the MQM-P’s internal differences in the Senate polls.

The schedule for Senate polls for the seats from the federal capital and FATA was withheld due to procedural hitches stated to be the presidencies failure to extend the Elections Act 2017 to FATA through an order and determining the manner in which polling is to be held for the aforementioned seats, under Article 59 of the constitution.

A confirmation that polling for all 52 Senate seats will take place on March 3 came later after the schedule for seats from Islamabad was ann­ounc­ed on Feb 4, as well as, the announcement of the schedule for FATA seats.

By the looks of it, PPP seems to be the biggest loser, the reason being 18 of the party’s senators, including Chairman Raza Rabbani being replaced by newcomers.

Although nine senators from the ruling PML-N are also retiring, the party is still expected to gain seats by the exercise, despite the recent brouhaha in the Balochistan Assembly which saw PML-Q’s Abdul Quddus Bizenjo replacing PML-N’s Sanaullah Zehri for the chief minister slot.

Elections will be held for seven general and four reserved seats from each province, including two each for women and technocrats, four seats from Fata, two from Islamabad and two minority seats.

The 52 members who are due to retire in March include Senate Chairman Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, Deputy Chairman Sabir Ali Baloch, Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed, National Party chief Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, PML-N chairman Raja Mohammad Zafarul Haq, former interior minister Rehman Malik, former chairman of Senate Farooq H. Naek, former law minister Moula Bux Chandio, Islamuddin Sheikh, parliamentary leader of MQM in the Senate Babar Ghauri, Afrasiab Khatak, Haji Adeel, Zahid Khan, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, Mushahidullah Khan and Syed Zafar Ali Shah.