All of the six proposers and seconders of presidential candidate former Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed did not cast their vote in the election on Saturday after failing to get in touch with him despite repeated efforts.
Most of them kept waiting in their rooms at the Parliament Lodges in Islamabad, but the candidate neither responded to their repeated calls nor sent any representative to brief them ahead of the polling.
"We all have been frantically trying to contact him since October 2 but failed to get in touch with him," said one of the six senators belonging to MMA and PML-N.
One of the proposers said, he ultimately succeeded in contacting former Justice Tariq Mehmood, a close companion of Wajihuddin, on Saturday morning and inquired about the arrangements and polling agents.
"Mehmood advised me to remain waiting in my flat at the Parliament Lodges. Even my candidate did not contact till the end of the five-hour polling process."
"I feel ashamed of proposing Wajihuddin as a candidate for the presidential election," he said.
The Senator, who did not want to be named, deplored what he called Wajihuddin's "shameful attitude and lack of basic moral values." "I do not even like to show that I was one of his proposer," the visibly angry senator said.
He said further that it was now apparent to him that they only went through this whole "drama" of contesting the election just to get media attention and publicity.
"Unfortunately, Wajihuddin and his companions were only interested in their personal publicity which is deplorable. We consider ourselves cheated and exposed to ridicule," the proposer said.
He recalled the affection and enthusiasm shown for him on the day of filing of nominations and said after that he was completely forgotten. "I cannot express in words how I feel now. The candidate and his companions calls me hundreds of time September 27, but after September 29 they completely changed." Another senator also, who seconded Wajhihddin, deeply regretted having consented to back him. "I was advised by my colleagues against it but I agreed to second him. However, I am embarrassed due to the attitude of our candidate," he said.
The Senators who proposed and seconded nomination papers of Wajihuddin were Professor Khurshid Ahmed, Professor Ibrahim, Kamran Murtaza, Dr Kausar Firdous, all from MMA, and Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi and Dr Saad of Pakistan Muslim League (N).