Let’s take a look at the running candidates for political parties from each province and designated seats.

Pakistan-Tehreek-Insaf (PTI)

Islamabad

PTI has awarded ticket to Fauzia Arshad and Hafeez Sheikh from Islamabad.

Sindh

Faisal Vawda for a general seat from Sindh, while Saifullah Abro has been nominated for the technocrat seat.

Punjab

Saifullah Niazi, Dr Zarqa and Barrister Ali Zafar have been nominated for general seats.

KPK

10 candidates have been finalized from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Shibli Faraz, Mohsin Aziz, Zeeshan Khanzada, Faisal Saleem and Liaquat Tarakai for general seats.

Dost Mohammad Mehsud and Dr Humayun Mohmand for technocrats’ seats. Sania Nishtar and Falak Naz Chitrali for women seats and Gurdeep Singh for a minority’s seat.

Baluchistan

From Baluchistan, Zahoor Agha will be given the ticket for a general seat.

The prominent contenders from PTI for the Senate polls are:

Shibli Faraz

Shibli Faraz is the son of Urdu writer Ahmed Faraz. He was an investment banker by profession and has likewise filled in as a pilot of the Pakistan International Airlines. Faraz has entered in as the leader of the house in the Senate at August 26th, 2018. He challenged the political race for civic chairman from the Kohat District in 2002. His uncle Masood Kausar was the previous legislative leader of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa. Faraz joined the PTI in 2015.

Abdul Hafeez Shaikh

Shaikh is a finance minister who is presently filling in as the minister for finance. He has held this post in the past too from 2010 to 2013. In 2000, he was the provisional minister of finance in Sindh. He was likewise a candidate from the Senate from 2003 to 2006, 2006 to 2012 and again from 2012 to 2018.

Dr. Sania Nishtar

Dr. Sania Nishtar born on February 16, 1963 in Peshawar. Sania Nishtar is the granddaughter of the previous legislative leader of Punjab Sardar Abdur Rab Nıshtar. She is presently serving as a speacial assistance to PM on poverty alleviation as a federal minister Nishtar was a contender for the Director-General of the World Health Organization in 2017.

Dr. Zarqa Taimur

Dr Zarqa Taimur has likewise been chosen unopposed as a Senator on a ladies’ seat in Punjab. A dermatologist by calling, Taimur was a gold medalist by the Punjab University in 1989. The specialist joined PTI in 2010. She doesn’t come from a political background.

Indeed, Taimur outlined her own political direction from the grassroots of the elections by winning the intra-party surveys at the UC level. Already, she filled in as the leader of PTI’s Lahore ladies wing and was the media top of the ladies wing in Punjab. In 2018, PTI had likewise named her for the Senate seat in Punjab yet she failed to win.

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N)

The parliamentary board of PML-N affirmed the names of candidates for Senate elections. The PML-N candidates are:

Punjab

Pervaiz Rashid, Mushahidullah Khan, Professor Sajid Mir, Advocate Azam Nazir Tarar, Sadia Abbasi, Zahid Hamid, Baleeghur Rehman, Irfan Siddiqui and Saiful Malook Khokhar.

Azam Nazir Tarar on technocrat seat and Sadia Abbasi, sister of former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on women’s seat.

Afnanullah Khan Son of Pervaiz Rashid Late

AfnanUllah Khan, son of Pervaiz Rashid late former Federal Minister of Information, Broadcasting, and National Heritage and Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights in 3rd Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet. Rashid has been the member of the Senate of Pakistan since 2009 and he was given the ticket but his son filled the gap after his death.

Professor Sajid Mir

Sajid Mir is a Pakistani Islamic researcher having a place with the Ahl-I Hadith School and a lawmaker, at present filling in as Chairperson-Senate Committee on Science and Technology. He was chosen for the Senate of Pakistan in March 2009 on held seat for technocrats and Ulema as PML-N candidate. He is likewise the Ameer of Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)

The PPP Parliamentary Board has also concluded the names of Senate competitors.

The candidates are:

Sindh

Jam Mehtab Dahir, Taj Haider, Saleem Mandviwalla, Sherry Rehman and Shahadat Awan are the PPP contender for the general seats from Sindh.

Islamabad

Palwasha Khan and Khairul Nisa Mughal will run for the two reserved seats for ladies while Rukhsana Shah will be the covering candidate. Former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani will be the dig gun from Islamabad on general seat with backing of PDM.

Punjab

Farooq H. Naik and Dr. Karim Khawaja will run from Punjab for the general seat.

KPK

As indicated by Bilawal House representative, it has been proposed that Farhatullah Babar will run from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and he will be the joint candidate of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

Sherry Rehman

Sherry Rehman born on 21st December is the member of Senate of Pakistan since 2015. She was the principal lady leader of the Opposition in the Senate from March to August 2018 and filled in as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States from 2011 to 2013.

Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani

Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, born on 9th July 1952 filled in as 18th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 25 March 2008 until his ouster by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on 26th April 2012. He as of now fills in as focal chief advisory group of the Pakistan People’s Party.

Awami National Party (ANP) has reported Haji Hidayatullah as the general seat up and Dr Shaukat Jamal Amirzada will be the technocrat competitor. Dr. Taslim Begum will be the ANP possibility for the ladies’ seat and Asif Bhatti will be the contender for the minority seat.

Baluchistan Awami Party (BAP)

From Balochistan, BAP has also shortlisted names of Sarfraz Bugti, Dr Kumar, Hussainul Islam, Shah Zaman Kakar, and Mir Behroz Raiki while ANP’s former Senator Sitara Ayaz has been named for woman seat.

JUI-(F)

JUI-F has named Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri for general seat and Kamran Murtaza for technocrat seat.

MQM-Pakistan

MQM-P leaders, including Amir Khan, Faisal Sabzwari, Rauf Siddiqui, Zafar Jamali and Abdul Qadir Khanzada, are set to file their nomination papers but they have little to no chance of getting elected.

Nasreen Jalil and Khalida Tayyab are vying for the one women’s seat that MQM-P is likely to win thanks to the support from allied parties, the PTI and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA).

PML-(Q)

Kamil Ali Agha has been awarded a ticket from PML-Q and is likely to win with support from PTI.

It’s merely a wait of days to play cards. There can be upsets and surprises in this election. With Open Ballot voting hanging on the heads of political parties. This elections will be an exercise to keep a close eye on.

By Ali Asad

The author is doing M. Phil in Public Policy and Governance. He is working  as a freelancer. Previously worked with HubPages and Washington Post.

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