Six candidates of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) three of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and one of Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F)' returned successful in Friday's Senate elections held on 10 seats of Sindh. Polling for the elections started at 9:00am at Committee Room-1 of Sindh Assembly under the supervision of Provincial Election Commissioner, Sono Khan Baloch, who acted as Returning Officer.
Briefing media after the votes' count, Baloch said that two MQM's candidates on general seats Syed Mustafa Kamal (26 votes) and Tahir Hussein Mashhadi (25 votes) returned successful. He said that four PPP's candidates on general seats including Mian Raza Rabbani (22 votes), Mukhtiar Ahmed Dhamrah alias Aajiz (22 votes), Dr Karim Khuwaja (22 votes) and Saeed Ghani (21 votes) and ML-F's candidate on general seat Syed Muzaffar Hussein Shah (22 votes) were elected to Senate.
Baloch further said PPP's Mudasir Sehar Kamran and MQM's Nasrin Jalil were elected as Senator on reserved seats for women by polling 99 and 59 votes, respectively. PPP's Hari Ram Kishori Lal was elected as Senator on reserved seat for Non-Muslims by obtaining 157 votes.
Pakistan Muslim League-Likeminded candidates including Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi (general), Yasmeen Farukh (women) and Photomal Dileep (Non-Muslims) got four votes each, he added. Baloch maintained that PPP's Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and MQM's Farogh Nasim had already been elected unopposed on the seats reserved for technocrats/Ulema.
A large number of PPP, MQM and PML-F's supporters were present the whole day outside the polling station. After announcement of the result, they chanted slogans of "Jeay Bhutto, Jeay Altaf and Bhej Pagara". PPP candidates including Mian Raza Rabbani, Saeed Ghani, Aajiz Dhamrah, Dr Karim Khuwaja, Ms Mudasir Sehar Kamran and Hari Ram Kishori Lal remained outside the polling room throughout the day.
While MQM's candidates including Syed Mustafa Kamal, Tahir Hussein Mashhadi and Nasrin Jalil came with party ministers, MPAs and supporters in the last moment of the polling. PPP set up polling camp at the office of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) where PPP's parliamentary leader Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, Minister for Finance Syed Murad Ali Shah and Minister for Information and Power Shazia Marri guided the MPAs regarding casting of vote.
MQM's provincial Minister Syed Sardar Ahmed, Minister for Youth Affairs Faisal Sabzwari and others guided their lawmakers about the polling at their chamber. MQM's Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Ghauri, Kanwar Navid Jamil and others were also present in Sindh Assembly building.
Talking to media Babar Ghauri termed Senate elections as victory of the government and its allies. He said that MQM had always supported the democratic system in the country. Talking to media Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah said that with Friday's elections all the conspiracies being hatched which were aimed at stopping Senate's elections had failed.
He said that PPP-led government held the elections, which would strengthen the democratic process in the country. Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Khurshid Shah visited Sindh Assembly during the polling. Talking to media he thanked PML-L's Chief Arbab Ghulam Rahim for taking part in the elections, which is a democratic process.
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