Ruling PTI, BAP join hands for Senate elections

PESHAWAR: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) here on Wednesday announced seat adjustment in the province for the upcoming Senate polls.

BAP has four lawmakers in the provincial assembly. They joined the party after winning elections from tribal districts as independent candidates.

Addressing a press conference in the civil secretariat, provincial government spokesperson Kamran Khan Bangash, Minister for Local Government Akbar Ayub Khan and BAP leader Bilawal Afridi announced the seat adjustment agreement.

Mr Bangash said that PTI would field five candidates for general seats from the province while for the sixth seat his party would support BAP’s Senator Taj Mohammad Afridi. He said that in return, BAP would support PTI candidates for female, technocrats and minorities seats.

Mr Bangash said that PTI’s number game was complete and they were sure of bagging six general seats of Senate from the province. He said that members of many political parties were in contact with provincial government in connection with upcoming Senate polls. He said that some of them were also desirous of contesting elections on PTI ticket in next general elections.

ECP starts scrutiny of nomination papers of candidates

Mr Bangash said that he confirmed that members of other political parties were in contact with them and wanted to support PTI candidates. He added that those lawmakers had their demands and aspirations.

He said that PTI issued more than seven tickets, however, a final list would be issued after scrutiny, wherein only five would be awarded tickets. However, he said that the ruling party would field candidates according to strength of its member and would not believe in floor crossing and horse-trading. He said that under the same belief, PTI government was demanding for open balloting in Senate polls.

Speaking on the occasion, Akbar Ayub Khan said that there were independent candidates in the house as well and after giving proper thought to the number game, PTI and its allies fielded six candidates.

Bilawal Afridi and Taj Mohammad Afridi also spoke on the occasion. Mr Taj is an uncle of Mr Bilawal and brother of former MNA from Khyber Shahjee Gul Afridi. He is currently a member of Senate and completing his six-year tenure later in March this year.

Meanwhile, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) started scrutiny of the nomination papers for Senate polls, which will continue on Thursday (today).

A total of 51 candidates have submitted their nomination papers for 12 seats in the Senate elections from the province with 27 of them belonging to the ruling PTI.

During the scrutiny, ECP rejected Malik Najab Gul candidature for the general seat from the province.

Nomination papers of PPP’s Farhatullah Babar, ANP’s Hidayatullah Khan and PTI’s Faisal Saleem Rehman, Dost Mohammad Khan and Najiullah Khattak were approved. ECP reserved its judgment over the nomination papers of Abbas Afridi and directed him to appear before it on Thursday (today).

On women seats, nomination papers of Naeema Kishwar, Dr Sania Nishtar, Tasleem Begum, Furrakh Khan, Farzana Javed, Shazia Tehmas, Falak Naz, Inayat Begum and Musarrat Jabeen were approved.

On technocrat seats, the commission approved papers of Dr Mohammad Humayun, Dr Mohammad Iqbal Khalil, Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif and Dil Roz Khan while judgment on nomination papers of Engineer Hamidul Haq, Farhatullah Babar and Zuhair Ali was reserved and they were directed to appear before it again on Thursday.

Rehan Alam Khan, Dr Shaukat Jamal and Dost Mohammad Mehsud were also directed to reappear before the commission on Thursday.

On minority seat, nomination papers of Ranjeet Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Arish Kumar, Asif Bhatti and Javed Gill were also approved.