Shujaat named for Senate's top slot

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) has nominated party's President Ch Shujaat Hussain as the candidate for the slot of Chairman of the Senate.
PML-Q took this decision in a meeting presided over by Ch Shujaat Hussain in which all the twenty-two senators of the party participated. The party also nominated Jan Muhammad Jamali, incumbent Deputy Chairman Senate, for the deputy chairman's slot.
PML-Q is the second largest party in the Upper House with 22 senators after PPP that has grabbed 28 seats in the Upper House.
The sources said that the slot of Chairman Senate for PML-Q president Ch Shujaat Hussain was the part of demands the party had put before PPP for forging an alliance in Punjab.
"As PPP has already nominated Farooq H Naek for the Senate Chairmanship, therefore, we think that Pakistan People's Party would not withdraw its candidate in favour of Ch Shujaat Hussain but this nomination by PML-Q would make party's bargaining position better in power-sharing in Punjab", said a PML-Q leader seeking anonymity.
The sources within PML-Q and PPP told this scribe that Jan Muhammad Jamali would easily get elected on the slot of Deputy Chairman as he was enjoying support from both PML-Q and PPP both. "Jan Muhammad Jamali was the man, who along with his twenty loyal senators of the party had cast vote in favour of Asif Ali Zardari during presidential polls last year", said the sources.
A PML-Q leader on the nomination of Ch Shujaat said in case of his defeat, he would become the Leader of Opposition in the Upper House terming it one of the factors behind Shujaat's contesting poll for Senate Chairmanship.
Talking to media after the meeting, Ch Shujaat said that his party was in contacts with both PPP and PML-N for power sharing in Punjab 'but till today we have not made any final decision in this regard'. He said that PPP could not form its government in Punjab without PML-Q's support adding, "We will take decision by keeping the national interest on priority."