ISLAMABAD: Eighteen of the total 147 aspiring candidates who have filed nomination papers for the 48 vacant Senate seats have been elected unopposed as Senators.
The final list of candidates released by the Returning Officers shows that of the 18 unopposed elected candidates, seven are from Punjab on general seats while seven are from Balochistan on general seats, two in women’s seats, and two Ulema/technocrat seats.
A spokesperson for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that preparations have been completed for conducting elections on April 2 to fill 30 vacant seats.
Ballot papers have been printed, and transportation of election materials to returning officers has also been finalized. The elections would be held on 29 general, eight women, nine technocrat/ Ulema, and two non-Muslim seats.
The elections are underway for 30 seats, which include one general and one technocrat seat from the federal capital, two women seats, two technocrat/Ulema seats, and one non-Muslim seat from Punjab.
Similarly, Sindh will see elections for seven general, two women, two technocrat/Ulema, and one non-Muslim seat. Additionally, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will hold elections for seven general, two women, and two technocrat seat on April 2. In total, 59 candidates are vying for these seats.
In Punjab, four candidates are contesting for women’s seats, three for technocrat seats, and two for reserved seats for non-Muslim. Candidates for general seats have also been elected unopposed in the country’s most populous province.
“No sale of votes this time,” said Mir Sadiq Umrani, a PPP lawmaker in the Balochistan Assembly. “All this happened because of the vision of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.”
For the first time, Awami National Party (ANP) leader Aimal Wali Khan was also elected as a senator on a general seat from Balochistan.
Other politicians elected unopposed include former caretaker prime minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar; JUI-F’s Maulana Wasey and Ahmed Khan Khilji; PPP’s Bilal Mandokhail and Sardar Umar Gorgage; PML-N’s Syedal Khan Nasar and Shahzaib Durrani; NP’s Jan Muhammad Buledi.
Meanwhile, JUI-F lawmaker Mir Zafarullah Zehir said Balochistan is notorious for horse-trading ahead of Senate polls. “However, this time the political parties ended this trend.”
After the Senate elections, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti will face the challenge of picking his cabinet. Bugti told The Express Tribune that the cabinet would be formed on April 4, the 45th anniversary of the martyrdom of PPP founder Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. “No unnecessary coordinators and special assistants will be inducted into the provincial cabinet,” he said.
