Sindh would go for election of 10 out of 12 Senate seats because PPP, MQM and PML-F failed to convince Arbab Ghulam Rahim to get unopposed all their candidates because PML-LM's three candidates have not submitted their withdrawals. Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would notify unopposed wining of PPP's Dr Abdul Hafiz Shaikh and MQM's Farogh Nasim on two seats of Senate reserved for Technocrats /Ulema.
On Friday (February 24) was the officially last date for the submission of withdrawals, only three candidates of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and one of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) submitted their withdrawal letters. PPP's Rashid Rabbani (general), Shahida Rehmani (women) and Haresh Parwani (non-Muslim) while, MQM's Poonjo (non-Muslim) have submitted their withdrawal letters at the office of Provincial Election Commissioner.
The movement became excited for the media people when PML-LM's candidate Abdul Ghafar Qureshi (general seat) entered in the premises of Provincial Election Commissioner's office but he told media that he want to say that he and two more candidates of PML-LM would not submit withdrawals.
Ghafar Qureshi said that PML-LM have five MPAs in Sindh Assembly with extra support of some more MPAs so that Asif Ali Zardari should give us one seat of Senate to continuing the reconciliation policy. "When PPP can give two extra seats to MQM and one seat to PML-F so why they are not giving one seat to PML-LM", he questioned.
To a question, he said that if PML-LM's Chief Arbab Ghulam Rahim will loose his MPA seat over the matter of Senate election, it's not a big issue because Sindh Assembly has almost completed its tenure, only few months are remaining left. With taking stance by PML-LM's Ghafar Qureshi (general), Yasmeen Farukh (women) and Photmal Dileep (non-Muslim), now the lection for ten seats of Senate (7 general, 2 women and 1 non-Muslim) would be held on March 2, 2012.
In this connection, PEC, Sono Khan Baloch briefed the media that election would be held for the seven seats of general, two of women and one of non-Muslim. He told that there are eight candidates for general seats including Mian Rabbani, Syed Mustafa Kamal, Saeed Ghani, Dr Karim Khuwaja, Colonel Tahir Hussein Mashhdi (Retd), Syed Muzafar Hussein Shah, Mukhtiar Ahmed Dhamrah (Aajiz) and Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi.
While, two candidates including Hari Ram and Photomal Dileep would contest election for Senate's one seat reserved for Non-Muslim, he added. He said that there are two seats reserved for women in Senate but three candidates including Nasreen Jalil, Sehar Kamran and Yasmeen Farukh would contest election. To a question, Baloch replied that if candidates of PML-LM would submit their retirements from candidatures even on 12:00 pm of March 1, the all candidates would be declared unopposed winners and polling would not be held on March 2, 2012.