Jan Achakzai, the spokesperson for the JUI-F, told Business Recorder on Wednesday that his party was lobbying for the seat of Deputy Chairman in the Senate and had talked to leaders of all other parties. "The Prime Minister has been empowered to announce nomination for the deputy chairman and we are hopeful that our candidate will be chosen for the position," he said. Achakzai said that his party wants to nominate one of its Senators from Balochistan for the position as this would help alleviate sense of deprivation of the Balochi people.
The elections of four Senate seats from Fata are yet to be conducted as the members have challenged a Presidential Ordinance in the Islamabad High Court that was meant to change vote procedure for Fata MNAs. However after the lunch hosted by the Prime Minister on Tuesday, the government had reportedly agreed to withdraw the ordinance but so far there has been no such notification issued.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf filed a petition in the IHC on Monday, with a plea that the elections for chairman and the deputy chairman should be halted as Fata Senators are yet to be elected. The IHC has, however, rejected the petition and allowed the elections to be held. Wasim Sajjad, former Chairman Senate, told Business Recorder that elections for the chairman and the deputy chairman were not possible in the absence of four Senators that are yet to be elected.
"As the Islamabad High Court has now ruled in favour of the elections therefore the process would be legal and fair," he said. He said the case for the Fata Senators was also pending with the court and it would be conducted after court's verdict. "It doesn't make any difference whether the FATA Senators are elected or not as all other parliamentary parties have reached a consensus to elect the chairman and deputy chairman unanimously," he said.
Kanwar Dilshad, former Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan, said that elections of the chairman and deputy chairman would be legal even without the elections of the four members from Fata. "Under Article 59 of the Constitution, the Upper House is complete as all four provincial assemblies, federal capital and Fata have their due representation to elect the chairman and deputy chairman," he said.