Hassan Naqvi
LAHORE: Former caretaker Chief Minister Punjab and current Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi will become Federal Interior after becoming Senator, The Frontier Post (TFP) has learnt.
Sources from the power corridors in Islamabad confirmed this scribe that he is set to run for a senate seat as an independent candidate endorsed by the ruling coalition.
The political insiders maintained that Naqvi is poised to become the next federal interior minister, representing Punjab as an independent candidate with support from both the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
A senior PPP leader who previously served as Federal Minister told TFP that the decision to nominate Naqvi for the senate election is a collaborative effort between the PML-N and PPP leadership. Upon his expected election as a senator, Naqvi is anticipated to assume a significant role within the federal government, according to the sources.
Mohsin Naqvi, currently serving as the PCB chairman, will subsequently be sworn in as a member of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s federal cabinet. Naqvi’s election as PCB chairman occurred unopposed on February 6.
Sources privy to this development confirmed TFP that he will continue to serve as Chairman PCB as well.
Senate elections schedule
It is pertinent to mention that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced the date for the upcoming Senate elections, which will take place on April 3.
The commission has finalized the election schedule, with polling set to occur for 48 Senate seats across the national and four provincial assemblies.
On April 3, each from Sindh and Punjab, 12 senators will be elected, while two senators will represent Islamabad.
Additionally, 11 new senators will be chosen from each of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. It’s important to note that 52 senators will retire on March 11, upon completion of their term.
The retiring senators include 12 from Punjab, 12 from Sindh, and four from the former Fata region. Similarly, 11 senators from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11 from Balochistan, and two from Islamabad will also conclude their tenure on March 11.
Under the 25th constitutional amendment, there will be no re-election for the four Senate seats from the former Fata region.
The Punjab Assembly will elect 12 new Senate members, comprising seven general, two women, two technocrats, and one minority member. Sources indicate that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), along with coalition partners, including the Peoples Party, Muslim League-Q, and IPP, will participate in the Senate elections. The Sunni Ittehad Council will also field its candidates.
On March 8, 2024, 11 senators from Punjab will retire at the end of their term, including PML-N’s Dr. Asif Kirmani, Dr. Musadik Malik, Rana Mahmoodul Hassan, and Khalid Shaheen Butt. Additionally, two senators from Punjab, PML-N’s Senator Nuzhat Sadiq and PTI’s Seemi Aizdi, will retire from the reserved women’s seats. Two PTI senators, Dr. Shahzad Wasim and Waleed Iqbal, will also retire after completing their term.
Speaking to TFP, PML-N legislator in Punjab Assembly Syed Muhammad Sabtain Raza Bukhari said that Mohsin Naqvi performed really well as chief minister Punjab and left no stone unturned in addressing the issues faced by common people. “The coalition government in Punjab would vote for him and get him elected as senator along with 11 other senators,” he concluded.
Sources from the inner circle of PM Shehbaz Sharif confirmed TFP it is possible that Mohsin Naqvi will be made Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Interior initially and will be made Federal Interior Minister Interior after being elected Senator from Punjab.
“Alternatively, he will be made federal interior minister directly after he is elected as Senator; a final decision in this regard will be taken by PM Shehbaz in consultation with coalition partners,” they concluded.
