The Pakistan Muslim League (PML) candidate Sardar Mehmood Khan was elected on the general seat for Senate from Punjab by the provincial assembly held on the vacant seat of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday.
Provincial Election Commissioner Rahim Nawaz Durrani made the announcement to this effect. As per the result, the PML candidate polled 245 votes while his rival Birjees Tahir received one vote.
The Senate election that commenced at 9:00am witnessed a complete boycott from the opposition side.
According to the Punjab Assembly secretariat record, the opposition has strength of 114 members - PPPP (63); PML-N (41) and MMA (10).
The opposition, showing dissent on Monday's resolution passed by the Punjab Assembly asking President Musharraf to remain as army head for the next five years, showed unison by boycotting the Senate election.
Deputy opposition leader Rana Sanaullah averred that the opposition respecting the democratic process wanted to participate in it. However, after Monday's resolution, the opposition was left with no option but to boycott the Senate poll, he added.
Sanaullah, dilating on the possibility of launching protest campaign on the issue of uniform, stated that the opposition was not yet clear on the presidential decision about laying off his uniform.
However, if the President decides to keep the army post then they would launch a protest campaign, he added.
He stated that politicians, who were asking the President not to lay off his uniform, were doing a disservice to the cause of democracy.
Senior Punjab Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja, giving his views after the election, criticised the opposition for not participating in the Senate poll.
He said the way the opposition left out from the election process has left a negative aspersion on democracy.
He maintained that 11 of their legislators could not vote in the election, as nine of them were out of the country, while two were indisposed, he added.
Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) leader Asghar Gujjar rejected the result in toto. He asked MMA members that had shifted sides to contest anew as they had flouted mandate given to them by the masses, he added.
The election was held on no-first-and-second-priority basis. For victory, a simple majority of 186 votes were needed in the election.
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