Sadiq Sanjrani becomes Chairman Senate

ISLAMABAD: Opposition candidate Sadiq Sanjrani has won the election for the slot of Chairman Senate as per the initial reports.

Members of the Senate have concluded voting through a secret ballot to elect a new chairman. After the chairman is elected, voting will commence for the deputy chairman post.

Earlier on Monday, 51 newly-elected Senators took oath by presiding officer Senator Sardar Yaqub Khan when the Senate session began a little after 10am. Ishaq Dar could not take oath as he is in London on medical grounds.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its allies National Party (NP), Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), PML-Functional and Awami National Party agreed on PML-N's Raja Zafarul Haq as chairman and PkMAP's Usman Kakar as deputy chairman.

On the other hand, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rallied behind Sadiq Sanjrani, an independent senator from Balochistan, for chairman.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto confirmed the development on Sunday and added that the party would field Saleem Mandviwalla for the deputy chairman seat.