ISLAMABAD, Mar 02 (NNI): Nomination papers were filed to fill Pakistan’s top offices on Saturday, as the nation eagerly awaits completion of election cycle, which was delayed after the census and the subsequent delimitations across the country.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif is expected to enter the prime minister’s office for a second term after Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was elected as the National Assembly speaker yet again by bagging 199 votes, while PPP’s Ghulam Mustafa Shah, who secured 197 votes, as deputy speaker on Friday.
A candidate needs 169 votes in the 336-member parliament to be elected the premier.
Shehbaz backed by allied parties is challenged by Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC)’s Omar Ayub, as National Assembly Secretary Tahir Hussain received their nomination papers.
Ishaq Dar, Khursheed Shah, Tariq Bashir Cheema and Awn Chaudhry were among those who filed a total of eight nomination papers on behalf of Shehbaz.
On the other hand, Asad Qaiser, Ali Muhammad Khan, Amir Dogar and Junaid Akbar – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed independents – were the proposers and seconders for Ayub – the grandson of Pakistan’s first military dictator Ayub Khan – the House will elect the next prime minister through open voting/ division tomorrow (Sunday).
At the same time, Asif Ali Zardari, just like Shehbaz, is eyeing a second term as president – a move made possible after the PML-N agreed to back his candidature for the august office in exchange of the PPP voting for Shehbaz – an office still occupied by President Arif Alvi thanks to the absence of “electoral college” because of the delay in general elections.
His term had expired in September last year and the ECP has fixed March 9 for polling to elect the new president, which will be held simultaneously at the Parliament House Islamabad and the four provincial assemblies.
The nomination papers for Zardari have been filed at the two high courts in Islamabad and Karachi by PPP leader Farooq H Naek and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah respectively.
Interestingly, his rival is Mahmood Khan Achakzai – the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief who is elected to the National Assembly in Feb 8 elections, as the PTI founder decided to field and back him for the office after the two parties came closer in recent months.
Latif Khosa, Ayub and others submitted Achakzai’s nomination at the Islamabad High Court with Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.
Meanwhile, three other individuals have also jumped in to participate in the race. Their names are: Asghar Ali Mubarak, Abdul Quddus Awan and Waheed Ahmed Kamal.
The four provinces have already elected new chief ministers – Maryam Nawaz (Punjab), Murad Ali Shah (Sindh), Ali Amin Gandapur (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Sarfraz Bugti (Balochistan) – thus completing the process at the provincial level. NNI
