The independent candidates backed by ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) clinched majority of seats in Punjab and the federal capital followed by PPP which emerged as the principal seat winning party from Sindh, while PTI stood third by getting its share from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The crucial Senate elections took place on Saturday for 52 seats of which 46 were filled by four provincial assemblies, two by the National Assembly, and four by lawmakers representing the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
The candidates fielded by PML-N, who were contesting as independent candidates, bagged 11 seats from Punjab, while the only remaining seat was clinched by Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also won the technocrat seat of Senate from Punjab Assembly. Other successful PML-N candidates included Dr Asif Kirmani, Nuzhat Sadiq, Saadia Abbasi, Haroon Akhtar Khan and Shaheen Khalid Butt.
Out of the total 12 Senate seats from Sindh, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) bagged 10 seats. Barrister Faroogh Nasim of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah of PML-Functional clinched one seat each from Sindh. The PPP led the chart in Sindh where Raza Rabbani, Maula Bakhsh Chandio, Mohammad Ali Jamot, Imamuddin Shauqeen and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar were elected on general seats. Sikandar Mendhro and Engineer Rukhsana Zuberi of PPP were elected on technocrat seats while Krishna Kohli - first Dalit woman who made it to the Upper House of Parliament - and Quratulain Marri were elected on women's seats. Anwar Laal Deen of PPP was elected on the seat reserved for minorities.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PTI bagged five seats followed by PML-N and PPP which managed to get two seats each. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Jamaat-e-Islami also won one seat each. The PTI-backed hardliner cleric Maulana Sami-ul-Haq of JUI-S bagged only three votes. Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who recently joined PML-N after enjoying power in dictatorial regime of General Pervez Musharraf, was elected Senator from Islamabad. Another PML(N)-backed candidate, Asad Junejo, also won from Islamabad.
Four independent candidates - Shamim Afridi, Mirza Muhammad Afridi, Hidayat Ullah and Hilal-ur-Rehman - were elected as senators from FATA after bagging seven votes each. Three FATA MNAs boycotted the Senate elections. As all eyes were fixed on Balochistan where a government alliance comprising, among others, the dissidents from the PML-N and PML-Q, managed to get its six senators elected. They were Anwarul Haq Kakar, Ahmed Khan, Khuda Babar and Sadiq Sanjrani on general seats; Sana Jamali on the women seat and Naseebullah Bazai on the technocrat seat. Sardar Shafiq Tareen and Abida Omar of PkMAP, Tahir Bizenjo and Akram Dashti of National Party, while Maulana Faiz Muhammad of JUI-F also made it to the Senate from Balochistan.
Chairman PTI Imran Khan did not go to the National Assembly to cast his vote. Likewise, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed of Awami Muslim League as well as 10 PML-N MNAs skipped the vote. Meanwhile, senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Saturday that it is responsibility of government and relative institutions to control horse-trading if it is being conducted.
Nisar said this while replying to questions of media persons in a corridor of the Parliament House after casting his vote in the Senate election. He further said that instead of giving statements, the government should take practical steps to curb the menace of horse trading.
Asked if he was ready to work under the leadership of Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Nisar said it is not a day to question about party matters. Asked about his absence from the recent PML-N parliamentary party meeting, Nisar said he had skipped some meetings during the tenure of Nawaz Sharif as well.
Asked he is "playing on the front foot" since Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has been made PML-N president, Nisar said that he is not playing cricket. Talking to media persons after wining election on technocrat seat, Senator-elect Mushahid Hussain Sayed thanked PML-N leadership for reposing confidence in him and nominating him for Senate elections. He said that success of PML-N is reflective of the sovereignty of the Parliament. He said that conspiracies of all undemocratic forces against the Parliament failed. He said that Parliament is the mandate of the people and every person and institution should respect it.
Senator-elect Muhammad Asad Ali Khan Junejo also thanked Mian Nawaz Sharif and political parties including Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) and others. He said that he would play his role in the Senate for the rights of the people.
Senator Mushahidullah Khan said while talking to media that despite all conspiracies, nobody can stop people from choosing their leadership and they have rejected all ways of undemocratic forces. He said that success of his party's candidates in the Senate elections shows that the narrative of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is getting acceptance. He said those who abused the Parliament did not come to vote for their candidates.