Vawda's seat: PTI, MQM-P boycott Senate polls in Sindh

• PTI Sindh President Ali Zaidi announces party's decision to not take part in election.
• MQM-P decides boycotting Senate polls in coordination committee meeting headed by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi.
• PPP's Nisar Khuhro seems to be in a strong position to win the Senate seat.

KARACHI: The coalition partners in Centre PTI and MQM-P have announced not to participate in the polls on a vacant Senate seat due to take place today in the Sindh Assembly, The News reported.

The Senate seat had fallen vacant after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) nullified the notification for PTI leader Faisal Vawda's election as a Senator after declaring him ineligible as a lawmaker for life.

After the PTI's boycott, PPP's provincial president Nisar Khuhro seems to be the possible winner in the election as PPP, being the ruling party in Sindh, has 99 seats in the 168-strong provincial assembly.

Khuhro also serves as the Adviser to the Chief Minister on Works and Services and Universities and Boards with the status of a provincial minister. 

The PTI had fielded its provincial vice-president Agha Arsalan for the vacant seat. Out of 69 members belonging to Opposition parties in Sindh, PTI leads the tally with 30 seats followed by MQM-P with 21, GDA 14, Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) three and Jamaat-e-Islami has only one MP in the provincial assembly.

The MQM-P, who had announced not to participate in the Senate election on Tuesday, issued an official notification for the decision following a Rabita Committee meeting headed by its Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. 

On Tuesday night, PTI Sindh President and Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi in a tweet said that the PTI and its allies are boycotting the senate polls. 

“Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also disqualified on dual nationality and his case is still pending with the Supreme Court,” said Zaidi, stating the reason for boycotting the Senate polls.

The minister also requested the higher judiciary to hear CM Shah’s dual nationality case.

On February 19, an MQM-P’s former MNA Khawaja Sohail Mansoor, who submitted the nomination papers for Senate polls, had announced his resignation in favour of PPP’s candidate leader Khuhro in the Senate elections. 

However, the MQM-P had said that the party is not contesting the Senate polls and it was Masnoor’s own decision to submit the nomination papers and withdraw them in PPP's favour.