Senate elections today

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalised arrangements for Senate elections on 20 Senate seats to be held on Wednesday (today) for which 87 candidates are still in the run. Out of 50 seats to be vacated by Senators on March 11, 30 candidates have already been elected unopposed whereas polling for remaining 20 seats will be held on Wednesday.
Talking to journalists here on Tuesday, Secretary ECP Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad said that all arrangements have been finalised, and for election, premises of National and provincial assemblies will be used as polling stations. He said that polling would start at 9:00am and continue till 4:00am and result would be announced after the counting.
Candidates on all 11 seats from each Sindh and Punjab, seven general seats from NWFP and one general seat from federal capital have already been declared elected unopposed. Elections would be held on all seats from Balochistan, two each seats reserved for women and Ulema/technocrats from NWFP and one seat reserved for women from federal capital.
In Balochistan, 23 contestants will fight for seven general seats, 13 candidates for two seats reserved for women and seven will try their luck for two seats reserved for Ulema/technocrats.
THE CANDIDATES FOR SEVEN GENERAL SEATS INCLUDED: Mir Muhammad Ali (BNP-A), Khudai Dad Khan (ANP), Malik Muhammad Yar Khan (ANP), Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hassani (independent), Sheikh Zahid Jan (independent), Izhar Khan Khosa (independent), Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran (independent), Nawabzada Muhammad Akbar Magsi (independent), Mir Shahiq Khan Domki (independent), Haider Khan Nasir (independent), Mir Wali Muhammad Badini (independent), Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani (JUI-F), Hafiz Hamdullah Saboor (JUI-F), Mir Changez Khan Jamali (independent), Muhammad Asadullah Khan (independent), Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo (NP), Nawabzada Mir Haji Lashkari Raisani (PPPP), Sabir Ali Baloch (PPP), Aurangzeb Alamgir Magsi (PPP), Sardar Tahir Hussain Khan Advocate (PPP), Haji Abdullah Musazai (PPP), Muhammad Usman Badini (independent) and Nasibullah Achakzai (PML-Q).
For two reserved women seats in Balochistan, 12 candidates are in the run including Rehana Javed (ANP), Farida Kakar (ANP), Kalsoom Perveen (PML-Q), Bibi Salma (JUI-F), Agha Pari Gul Syeda (PML-Q), Roshan Khursheed Bharocha (PML-Q), Farah Shah (independent), Salma Saeed (independent), Suriya Amiruddin (PPP), Hinna (PPP), Samina (BNP-A) and Kauser Naheed (independent).
Similarly, for two Ulema/technocrats seats in the province, a total of seven candidates are in the run ie, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri (JUI-F), Muhammad Hamayun Khan (independent), Saeed Ahmed (BNP), Noor Jahan Panizai (PML), Mian Saifullah Paracha (PPP), Malik Mumtaz Hussain Mahfooz Advocate (PPP) and Engineer Basant Lal Gulshan (independent). From federal capital, Saeeda Iqbal (PPP) and Tahira Latif (PML-Q) would contest for one women reserved seat.
From NWFP, Farah Aqil (ANP), Farhat Abbas (PPP), Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli (PPP-S) and Shahida Begum (JUI-F) are in the run for two seats reserved for women. Ali Gohar Khan (independent), Iqbal Zafar Jhagra (PML-N), Abdul Jamil Khan (independent), Dr AJ Khan (independent), Afrasiab Khattak (ANP) and Syed Sardar Hussain to contest for two Ulema/technocrats seats.
The names of 34 candidates contesting for four Fata seats are: Engineer Malik Rashid Ahmed Khan, Bismillah Khan, Professor Abdul Ghaffar Khan Ghafoor, Haji Khan, Haji Gul Afridi, Halibur Rehman, Habib Malik Orakzai, Dr Syed Javed Hassain, Dr Abdul Qadir, Dr Muhammad Iftikhar Zafar, Syed Fazal Abbas Mian, Syed Muhammad Jawad, Syed Muhammad Hussain, Shah Jee Gul, Shoaib Hassan, Sahibzada Abdul Salam Sherani, Zafar Khan Afridi, Abbas Khan, Abdul Malik Qadri, Abdul Wadood, Irfanullah, Ghulam Haider Wazir, Ghulam Muhammad Sadiq, Fakharuz Zaman Khan, Farhad Shabab Afridi, Qismat Khan Wazir, Laiq Hussain Turi, Muhammad Ihsanullah, Muhammad Idrees Khan Safi, Muhammad Shoaib, Moulana Shamasur Rehman, Nasir Khan, Nawabzada Muhammad Shah and Hidayatullah.