Yousuf Gilani
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party leader Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has thrown his hat into the ring for the Senate election, aiming to reclaim the Islamabad seat left vacant after his victory in the recent general elections.
Gilani faces a one-on-one Senate contest against Chaudhry Ilyas Mehrban of the Sunni Ittehad Council. As the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) nomination deadline ended, a total of 19 other candidates submitted papers for the five other Senate seats, with three from Balochistan and two from Sindh.
Gilani’s potential ascension to the Senate chairmanship is suggested by a power-sharing understanding between PPP and PML-N. The absence of any PML-N candidate against Gilani adds weight to such speculations.
The election for the Islamabad seat is pivotal, and the PPP is banking on the support of its coalition partners for Gilani’s success. Chaudhry Ilyas Mehrban, an old PTI member, stands as the opposition candidate.
Despite ECP’s schedule announcement, two individuals, Nisar Khuhro and Jam Mehtab Dahar, both PPP members elected in the Sindh Assembly, attended the Senate session, violating constitutional provisions.
Questions also arise over the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani’s seat, as his election to the Balochistan Assembly should, according to experts, trigger a declaration of vacancy.
Seven candidates from Sindh, including PPP’s Waqar Mehdi, submitted papers for two Senate seats. Meanwhile, twelve candidates from different parties in Balochistan, including PPP’s Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo and BAP’s Kahuda Babar, filed nominations for three vacant Senate seats.
The changing Senate dynamics reflect the evolving political landscape, with implications for the distribution of power and representation.
After the by-elections on March 14, the ECP will announce the schedule for electing 48 new senators, marking a significant phase in Pakistan’s legislative process.
