LAHORE/ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: As many as 11 Candidates belonging to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar were elected Senators from the Punjab assembly, according to unofficial results.
It is worth mentioning here that following the Supreme Court’s verdict announced on February 21, the PML-N’s nominees were barred to contest the Senate Elections 2018 from the party’s platform; therefore, they entered the polls as Independent Candidates though were thoroughly backed by the PML-N.
As per the unofficial results from the Punjab assembly, the PML-N-backed six Independent Candidates including Asif Kirmani, Haroon Akhtar, Musaddiq Malik, Rana Maqbool Ahmed, Zubair Gul, and Shaheen Khalid Butt won on general seats, four Candidates including Ishaq Dar and Hafiz Abdul Karim won on technocrat seats, two on women seats while Kamran Michael won on non-Muslim seat.
جس کے ساتھ اللّہ کی مدد ہو اس کو دنیا کی کوئی طاقت، کوئی سازش نہیں روک سکتی۔
روک سکو تو روک لو ۔۔۔ pic.twitter.com/bRWIbiwQva— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) March 3, 2018
The PTI’s Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar won the Senate Election from Punjab on general seat.
I am grateful to Allah 4 the Senate victory 2day. I wld like 2 thank my PTI colleagues/ workers, friends, family, my team & Chairman IK!
— Mohammad Sarwar (@ChMSarwar) March 3, 2018
A total of 20 Candidates were in the run for Senatorship in the 371-member Punjab assembly wherein the PML-N has an overwhelming majority with 310 members.
Meanwhile, according to unofficial results of Senate Elections 2018, four Candidates including Hilal-ur-Rehman, Hidayatullah, Mirza Muhammad Afridi and Shamim Muhammad Afridi also won their coveted berths in the Senate from Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) by securing seven votes each in the National Assembly on Saturday.
As many as 24 Candidates were vying for four Senate seats from FATA.
Seven members of the National Assembly from FATA cast their votes while rest abstained from voting.
Likewise, PML-N-backed Independent Candidates including Mushahid Hussain Syed and Asad Ali Khan Junejo won two Senate seats from Islamabad.
Mushahid Hussain secured 223 votes on technocrat seat while Asad Ali Khan Junejo was declared successful on general seat of Islamabad by securing 214 votes.
From Sindh, where 33 Candidates were in the run for 12 Senate seats, Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) 10 Candidates including Mian Raza Rabbani, Maula Bakhsh Chandio, Muhammad Ali Shah Jamot and Murtaza Wahab won on general seats, Dr Sikandar Ali Mandhro on technocrat seat, Krishna Kohli on women seat while Anwar Lal Den won on non-Muslim seat.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) Farrugh Nasim and the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional’s (PML-F) Muzaffar Hussain Shah also snatched two Senate seats from Sindh.
From Balochistan, where 23 Candidates were vying for 11 Senate seats, Independent Candidate Ahmed Khan, Sadiq Sanjrani, Anwarul Haq Kakar, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Maulvi Faiz Muhammad and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s (PkMAP) Muhammad Yousaf Khan Kakar won the election.
From Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where 26 Candidates were contesting for 11 Senate seats, PTI’s Faisal Javed Khan, PML-N’s Pir Sabir Shah, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Talha Mehmood were elected as Senators on general seats, PTI’s Mehar Taj Roghani and PPP’s Robina Khalid were elected as Senators on women seats while PTI’s Azam Swati and PML-N-backed Independent Candidate Dilawar Khan won on technocrat seats.