51 newly elected Pakistani senators take oath

Newly elected Pakistani Senators took oath here on Monday in a ceremony held as the House prepared to elect its new Chairman and Deputy Chairman.

Presiding Officer Yaqoob Nasar administered the oath to the 51 Senators elected in polls held on March 3, reports Dawn news.

Only Finance Minister Ishaq Dar did not take the oath as he is undergoing medical treatment in London and his election as a senator is being contested in the apex court.

Meanwhile, ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and allies are meeting in Islamabad to finalise the names of their candidates for Chairman and Deputy Chairman.

The opposition, including Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), have already forwarded the names of their respective candidates.

The election would take place at 4 p.m. on Monday. Nomination papers for both positions would be available until noon, following which they would subjected to scrutiny, Dawn news reported.

Candidates would be able to withdraw their nomination papers at any point before the actual polling, the presiding officer announced, before adjourning the session till 4 p.m.

--IANS

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