ISLAMABAD, 3 January 2006 — Six federal ministers and ministers of state lost their Senate seats yesterday in a draw held to determine the tenure of the members of the upper house of Parliament.
Retired Lt. Gen. Javed Ashraf Qazi, who was appointed a federal minister by virtue of being a Senate member, lost his seat after he failed in the draw.
Other ministers and ministers of state who lost their Senate seats include Ajmal Khan, Dr. Waseem Shahzad, Tariq Azeem, Muhammad Ali Durrani and Chairman Privatization Commission Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.
It’s not only the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam Group) that suffered a setback, the Pakistan People’s Party also lost seats in the draw. Leader of the opposition in the upper house PPP’s Sen. Raza Rabbani and other PPP leaders Safdar Abbasi, Muhammad Akbar Khawaja, Farhatullah Babar and Syed Sajjad Hussain Bukhari lost their Senate seats.
Two Jamaat-e-Islami senators Professor Khurshid Ahmad and Professor Ghafoor Ahmad also lost the draw.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam senators from the North West Frontier Province including Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan, Qari Muhammad Abdullah, Syed Hidayatullah Shah, Azam Sawati, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Ms. Mumtaz Bibi also lost their Senate seats. Awami National Party Senator Ilyas Bilour was also among the losers.
Others who were ousted through the draw include Amanullah Kanrani, Ayaz Khan Mandokhail, Azizullah Satakzai, Mohim Khan Baloch, PML (N) Senator Ishaq Dar, Razzaq Thahim, Naeem Hussain Chattha, Dr. Nighat Agha, Abdul Latif Ansari, Justice Retired Abdul Razzaq Thahim, Abida Saif, MQM’s Ahmad Ali and Professor Muhammad Saeed Siddiqui.
The ministers who lost their Senate seats will continue to perform their duties till the election of 50 new senators. The Election Commission will announce the schedule for the election next month.
Senate Chairman Muhammad Mian Soomro, who holds the second highest office after the president, survived the draw.
