Unopposed Senate elections in Sindh: PML-L MPAs a pain in the neck for ruling coalition

The five MPAs of Pakistan Muslim League-Like-minded (PML-L) in Sindh Assembly have become a pain in the ruling coalition's (PPP, MQM and PML-F) neck as far as their efforts to get all their candidates elected unopposed in the Marc 2 Senate elections. Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has been given the task to win the support of PML-L Chief Arbab Ghulam Rahim in this regard.
The PML-L MPAs are Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Abdul Razzaq Rahimoon, Arbab Zulifqar, Chetan Mal and Nuzhat Pathan. PML-L Chief and former Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim is currently living in self-imposed exile in Dubai. On his directives, four candidates of his party including Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi (general), Yasmeen Farukh (women), Photomal Dileep (minorities) and Mangal Das Arwani (technocrats) have submitted their nomination papers for the Senate elections.
The PPP, MQM and PML-F want to get all their candidates elected unopposed while PML-Q, ANP and NPP are supporting their candidates. The five legislators of PML-L have become the 'major hurdle' in PPP, MQM and PML-F bid of unopposed election. Sources said Arbab Ghulam Rahim would support the candidate of PPP, MQM and PML-F if they agree to give a seat to his party man.
PPP sources said that party leadership had assigned Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro the task to win the support of Rahim. They said that if any understanding was reached with PML-L, Arbab Rahim would be appointed as Opposition Leader in Sindh Assembly and he would come back to the country to resume his political activities.
When contacted, PML-L MPA Abdul Razaq Rahimoon, who met Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah on Wednesday, told Business Recorder that candidates of PML-L had submitted their nomination papers on the directives of Arbab Rahim. He said so far no contact has been made with Arbab Ghulam Rahim by PPP leadership. To a question about the slot of opposition leader, he said that he had submitted Rahim's application for the slot about three months ago, but no decision has been made by the speaker so far.