6-4-1 formula agreed in Punjab

LAHORE - Major political parties in the Punjab have reached a 6-4-1understanding over Senate elections in a rare gesture meant to create a greater political harmony in the country.
According to this grand compromise, the Senate candidates nominated by them will be elected unopposed without any contest.
The new-found arrangement reached between the leaders of major parties that included PPP, PML-N and PML-Q suggests that the number of candidates taking part in the Senate elections will not exceed the number of seats available. All the extra candidates will withdraw on the instructions of their party leadership, making once an all-important Senate elections a mere formality.
The initiative, started by none other than President Asif Zardari, has already been implemented successfully in Sindh, where all the candidates in the run have been declared unopposed.
The adjustment in the Senate on the part of major political forces will make Senate elections absolutely safe and sound for the candidates in the run, free of any blackmailing from certain quarters, extensive and irksome canvassing and involvement of money often witnessed in Senate elections.
With now a compromise formula put in place, PML-N will bag six, PPP four and PML-Q one Senate seat. It is pertinent to mention here that as many as 11 Senators will be elected from Punjab. Senate elections will be held on March 4.
On general seats, PPP’s Jahangir Badr and Salahuddin Dogar, PML-N’s Zafar Ali Shah, Mushahidullah, Pervaiz Rasheed and Raja Zafarul Haq will be the lucky ones to make their place to the Upper House.
Similarly from PML-Q Ch Shujaat Hussain will return unopposed. Here Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was the PPP’s front man to negotiate with the Chaudhrys on behalf of Asif Zardari
On women seats, Sughra Imam of PPP and Najma Hameed of PML-N will have no problem whatsoever in becoming members of Senate and that too unopposed.
Likewise on the strength of technocrats those who will benefit from this understanding are PPP’s Kazim Shah and Sajid Mir of PML-N.
All other candidates who earlier were in the fray will withdraw their papers in a day or two on the instructions of their parties. Already Mushahid Hussain Syed and Rozina Alam of PML-Q have withdrawn their papers.
As per this arrangement, the PML-N would be slightly in an advantageous position by virtue of having the support of PML-Q’s forward bloc. But the PPP and PML-N will not lose much in the process.
Irfan Bukhari from Islamabad adds: Well-placed sources Tuesday revealed to The Nation that the withdrawal of PML-Q candidate on technocrat seat, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, came after a basic understanding between Governor Punjab Salman Taseer and PML-Q leaders Shujaat Hussain and Pervaiz Elahi while the PML-N leadership was conveyed the messages through the PML-Q.
“The PML-N has 170 members while it has the support of 38 dissidents of the PML-Q which takes the tally to 208. This number is good enough to get four general seats, one technocrat and one woman seat,” said the sources.