PTI decides to boycott Senate elections in Sindh

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to boycott the upcoming Senate elections in Sindh, set for April 2, citing extensive allegations of electoral fraud.

Speaking at a press conference in Karachi on Sunday, PTI leader Haleem Adil Sheikh asserted that Senate elections are being manipulated through fraudulent means.

He highlighted the absence of individuals who purportedly won elections according to Form 45, indicating discrepancies in the Sindh Assembly election process, particularly concerning PTI-supported candidates losing due to alleged manipulation of Form 47.

Sheikh revealed that six PTI-endorsed candidates were initially in contention for the Senate polls in Sindh but have since withdrawn from the electoral process in protest.

Accusing the current government of electoral malpractice, Sheikh claimed that despite securing victory in 180 seats during the general elections, many of these victories were allegedly nullified.

In a recent development, 14 candidates withdrew their nomination papers for the Senate elections in Sindh, potentially paving the way for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to secure one of the two uncontested Senate seats designated for women.

The PPP has put forth 11 candidates, while the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has fielded only one candidate.

Among the PPP contenders are Syed Masroor Ahsan, Syed Kazim Ali Shah, Jeean Khan Sarfaraz Rajar, Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto, Dost Ali Jessar, Ashraf Ali Jatoi, Sarmad Ali, Zamir Hussain Ghumro, Poonjo, Qurat-ul-Ain Marri, and Rubina Qaimkhani. Amir Waliuddin Chishti is the sole candidate from MQM-Pakistan vying for a general seat in the upper house of parliament.

Additionally, an independent candidate supported by MQM-P, Faisal Vawda, is running for a general seat in the Senate from Sindh.

Independent candidates backed by the PTI, including Mehjabeen Riaz, Ali Tahir, Mir Raja Khan Jakhrani, Abdul Wahab, Manzoor Ahmed Bhutta, and Bhagwan Das, had also submitted nomination papers for the Senate polls in the province.

The voting for seven general seats, including two for technocrats, two for women, and one reserved for minorities in the Senate from Sindh, is scheduled to take place at the Sindh Assembly on April 2, from 9 am to 4 pm.