PPP finalizes names of Palwasha Khan, Taj Haider among others for Senate polls

(Karachi) Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has finalized candidates from Sindh for the upcoming Senate elections scheduled to be held on March 3, local media reported on Friday.

As per details, former president Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto gave approval for candidates.

The PPP decided to give ticket to Dr. Karim Khawaja for special seat of technocrat while it approved Palwasha Khan's name for women’s seat in Senate. It was also decided to give tickets to Taj Haider and Jam Mehtab Dahar for the general seats.

On February 11, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that polls for Senate will be held on March 3.

The nomination forms of candidates will be submitted on February 12 and 13 while the preliminary list of candidates will be released on February 14. The scrutiny of candidates will be conducted from February 15 to 16, while the filing of appeals against acceptance and rejection of nomination papers will be held on February 17 and 18, the ECP mentioned.

The date for disposal of appeals is February 19 and 20 and the revised list of the contestants will be issued later on February 21 while the candidates can use option of withdrawal of candidature till February 22.

The Senate elections will be held on two Islamabad seats, 11 Punjab seats, 11 Sindh seats and12 Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa seats

Meanwhile, the ECP has also established Digital Facilitation Centers at its central secretariat and provincial offices for scrutiny of nomination papers of candidates for the Senate elections.

The documents of the candidates will be examined with the support of online technology and in coordination with all relevant departments.

Over 65 per cent of the senators who are set to retire on March 11 after completing their six-year constitutio­nal term belong to the opposition parties. The number of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf senators may double after the electoral exercise to reach 28 from existing 14, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is likely to be the biggest loser in terms of representation in the Senate as 17 of its 29 senators will retire next month and the party would be able to retain just five, taking the total strength to 17.

The Pakistan Peoples Party’s strength in the house will slightly come down from 21 to 19. Among the allies of the ruling party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement will be the only loser, with its party’s strength slipping down from five to three, while another ally, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), will emerge stronger, with the number of its senators growing from 10 to 13.