Senate Elections 2024: A Comprehensive Overview of Contenders Across Pakistan's Political Landscape
Picture: file"Islamabad Braces for Senate Elections: 120 Key Contenders Vie for 48 Upper House Seats"
"In the Upcoming Senate Elections:
- Punjab: 26 candidates compete for 12 seats.
- Sindh: 33 contenders vie for a similar number of slots.
- Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa: 30 candidates race for 11 seats.
- Balochistan: 36 aspirants seek an equal number of spots.
- Islamabad: Four candidates eye the two available seats.
In Punjab, 17 contestants, including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, PML-N’s Talal Chaudhry, SIC-PTI’s Omar Sarfaraz Cheema, and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen chief Raja Nasir Abbas, contend for seven general seats. Four contenders compete for technocrat seats, while three women secure nominations for reserved seats."
Similarly, Asif Ashiq and Khalil Tahir Sindhu are contending for the minority seat from Punjab.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the contenders for the seven general seats include Irfan Saleem, Talha Mehmood, Dilawar Khan, Faisal Javed, Mirza Muhammad Afridi, Azhar Mashwani, Niaz Ahmed, Waqas Orkazai, Fazal Hanan, Asif Iqbal, Faizur Rehman, Khurram Zeeshan, Attaul Haq, Masoodur Rahman, Shafqat Ayaz, Asif Rafiq, ex-CM Mahmood Khan, Noorul Haq Qadri, Muhammad Naseem, Sajjad Hussain, Taj Muhammad Afridi, Ahmed Mustafa, and Fida Muhammad. For the two technocrat slots, competitors include Qazi Muhammad Anwar, Waqar Ahmed Qazi, Dr Hammad Mehmood Cheema, Khalid Masood, Fazal Hanan, Dilawar Khan, Qaiser Khan, Noorul Haq Qadri, and Syed Irshad Hussain. The contenders for the two reserved seats for women include Mehvish Ali Khan, Ayesha Bano, Rubina Naaz, Begum Tahira Bukhari, Rubina Khalid, Hamida Shahid, and Shazia.
In Balochistan, 36 contenders are vying for the 11 seats, including ex-caretaker premier Anwaarul Haq Kakar, ANP’s Aimal Wali Khan, former caretaker provincial minister Amanullah Kanrani, Kahuda Babar Baloch, Naseebullah Bazai, JUI-F’s Maulana Abdul Wasey, PPP’s Sardar Umar Gorgage, Jan Mohammad Buledi, Mir Changez Jamali, and Rahila Durrani.
For the seven general seats from Sindh, contenders include PPP’s Ashraf Jatoi, Masroor Ahsan, Kazim Shah, Sarfraz Rajar, Nadeem Bhutto, Javed Nayab Laghari, Dost Ali Jaisar, Ghanoor Khan Asran, Aziz Dhamra; MQM-P’s Muhammad Abubakar, Rauf Siddiqui, Shabbir Qaimkhani, Amir Chishti, Humayun Usman Rajput, Shehbaz Zaheer, Nighat Mirza; and independent candidates Faisal Vawda, Wahab Baloch, Barrister Tahir, and Raja Jakharani. Zameer Ghamro, Sarmad Ali, Karim Khawaja of the PPP, along with independent candidates Wahab Baloch and Manzoor Bhatta, will contest for the single technocrat seat. For the reserved seats for women, contenders include Quratulain Marri, Rubina Saadat Qaimkhani, and Mahjabeen Riaz. Poonjo Bheel and Bhagwan Das Bheel will compete for the minority seat.
From Islamabad, four candidates will contest for two Senate seats. Rana Mehmoodul Hasan and Farzand Hussain Shah will vie for the general seat, while Ishaq Dar and Raja Ansar Mehmood will battle for the technocrat slot.
