PPP, MQM-P leaders discuss Senate alliance

Karachi: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Mutahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQMP) on Friday discussed cooperation in the upcoming Senate polls.

The PPP has offered its support to MQM-P for a general and woman’s seat in the March 3 Senate elections but it wants the Karachi-based party to vote for its candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani for Islamabad’s general seat.

“We talked about contesting the Senate elections together,” PPP’s Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said after the meeting with PPP leaders.

Shah said the ruling party in Sindh is ready to support the MQM-P on a general seat and woman’s seat in exchange for the MQM-P’s support for PPP candidates in Sindh and Gilani in Islamabad.

“They have come here to discuss the Senate elections,” said MQM-P leader Amir Khan. He added that he will discuss the PPP’s offer in the meeting of the coordination committee.

Faisal Sabzwari, the party’s senate candidate, believes a possible alliance between the MQM-P and the PPP would have no effect on its relationship with the PTI.

The MQM-P candidate said PML-N and PTI are arch-rivals but they sat together in a room and had their senators elected unopposed in Punjab.

All candidates contesting the Senate election from Punjab have been elected unopposed, an Election Commission of Pakistan spokesperson had said Thursday.

These successful candidates include five each from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

PML-N’s Afnanullah Khan, Sajid Mir and Irfanul Haq were elected on general seats, according to the ECP.

PTI’s Aoun Abbas, Aijaz Chaudhry, Saifullah Niazi and PML-Q’s Kamil Ali Agha were elected on general seats too.

On technocrat seats, PML-N’s Azam Nazir Tarar and PTI’s Barrister Ali Zafar were elected unopposed, the ECP spokesperson said. PTI’s Dr Zarqa and PML-N’s Sadia Abbasi were elected on women seats.

The candidates who withdrew their nomination papers included PML-N’s Zahid Hamid and Saiful Malook Khokhar, and PTI’s Zaheer Abbas Khokhar and Umar Sarfaraz Cheema. Polling for the remaining Senate seats will be held on March 3.