File photo of Pakistan Senate
The ruling coalition on Tuesday secured all 19 seats under contest in the Senate, as polls were postponed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa over the provincial government’s refusal to administer oath to opposition MPAs-elect on reserved seats. There were no polls in Balochistan as all 11 senators from the province were elected unopposed.
Of the 19 seats in contention, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) won six; the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) 11; the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQMP) one; and independent candidate Faisal Vawda won the last from the Sindh Assembly with the support of the PPP and MQMP.
Following the wins, the PMLN now has the support of 19 senators in the 96-member Upper House; the PPP has 24; and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has 20. Of the winning senators, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar won on a technocrat seat from Islamabad, which also saw the election of PPP’s Rana Mehmoodul Hassan.
In Punjab, all seven candidates contesting general seats were elected unopposed last month, with elections held on two seats each for women and technocrats, and one minority seat. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Petroleum Minister Musadiq Malik won the technocrat seats; Anusha Rehman and Bushra Anjum won the women’s seats; and PMLN’s Khalil Tahir Sindhu won the minority seat.
In Sindh, the PPP’s Ashraf Ali Jatoi, Dost Ali Jessar, Kazim Ali Shah, Masroor Ahsan, Nadeem Bhutto won on general seats, while the MQMP’s Amir Chishti and independent Vawda also won on general seats. PPP’s Zamir Ghumro and Sarmad Ali won the technocrat seats, while Rubina Saadat Qaimkhani and Quratulain Marri won the seats reserved for women, and PPP’s Poonjo Bheel won the minority seat.
Earlier, PMLN’s Syedal Nasir, Shahzeb Durrani and Rahat Jamali; PPP’s Sardar Umar Gorgej, Hasana Bano, and Bilal Ahmed Khan; Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s Ahmed Khan and Maulana Wasay; Awami National Party’s Aimal Khan; National Party’s Jan Muhammad; and independent Anwaarul Haq Kakar; won unopposed from Balochistan.
Similarly, seven members won unopposed from Punjab—Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who contested as an independent; PMLN’s Pervaiz Rashid, Ahad Cheema, Talal Chaudhry, and Nasir Mehmood; and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen’s Raja Nasir Abbas and PTI’s Hamid Khan.
Senate elections take place every three years, when half the strength of the Upper House is in contest as senators are elected for six-year terms. Each federating unit provides 23 senators, while four are from Islamabad. The 23 seats allocated to a province comprise 14 general seats, four reserved for women, four for technocrats and one for minority members.
Congratulating the new senators in a posting on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif noted the polls were a continuation of the democratic process. “It is hoped that senators will play their role for the upliftment of the Constitution and the development of the country,” he said, urging them to participate in “effective legislation” for public welfare and national development and prosperity.
Similarly, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz hoped all elected senators would work for the development of the country and promotion of democracy. PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, congratulating her party’s winning candidates, stressed they had a lot of work ahead.