PML-N issues party tickets to candidates for Senate elections
Raja Zafar-ul-Haq submitted papers of party candidates for the Senate elections.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) has issued new party tickets to candidates for the upcoming Senate elections.
The tickets were awarded by party’s Chairman Raja Zafar-ul-Haq.
Raja Zafar-ul-Haq along with other party leaders visited Election Commission of Pakistan today and submitted papers of party candidates for the Senate elections.
Later, talking to the media, PML-N Chairman Raja Zafar-ul-Haq said the party chairman or president has the discretion to issue party tickets. He said consultations are underway to fill the position of party president.
The move came a day after the Supreme Court ruled that a disqualified politician cannot lead a political party, ordering the removal of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif as head of the country’s ruling party.
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The decision was announced months after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) passed a law allowing Sharif to remain at its helm despite being removed from the premiership and barred from holding any office over graft allegations last July.
In the court order Wednesday, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to remove Sharif as party head from all relevant records.
Elections for the Senate, the Pakistani parliament’s upper house, are due next month but would be postponed as a consequence of the Supreme Court ruling, analyst Hasan Askari said.
The initial response from PMLN members indicates that even if he cannot be the head, "Sharif will continue to dominate the party from the sidelines," he said.
"So it would be a very uncertain situation at this stage."
Sharif and his supporters have repeatedly denied allegations of corruption, suggesting the three-time prime minister is the victim of a conspiracy.
Sharif was the 15th prime minister in Pakistan’s 70-year history -- roughly half of it under military rule -- to be ousted before completing a full term.
The court order comes months ahead of expected general elections, pitting the PML-N against its main rival, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party led by former cricket star Imran Khan.
Despite the numerous court rulings against the PML-N, the party has won a string of recent by-elections proving it will likely remain a force in the next elections.
with inputs from AFP
