As many as 13 potential candidates obtained nomination papers from the Election Commission office in Lahore including PML-Q's Kamil Ali Agha, Punjab minister Ashifa Riaz Fatyana and PTI Central Punjab President Ijaz Chaudhry, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Wednesday.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Dr Zarqa Taimur, Ashifa Riaz Fatyana, Nighat Mahmood, Neelam Irshad received papers for the reserved seat for women.

While Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza of Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan also obtained the papers from the ECP office.

PTI Central Punjab President Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry and PTI leader Jamshed Iqbal Cheema also received papers from the Election Commission for the general seat.

Chaudhry Musaddiq Mahmood Ghuman, Bushra Ishtiaq, Dr Muhammad Naveed Iqbal also received papers for the Senate polls.

The ECP is yet to announce the Senate polls dates, but the issue to hold elections via open ballot or secret ballot is still being discussed widely among the treasury and opposition benches inside the assembly and outside the Lower House by the Pakistan Democratic (PDM) leaders.

A presidential reference is also being heard by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Last week, President Arif Alvi promulgated the Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 conditional on the final decision of the Supreme Court on the presidential reference.

A day earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Law Minister Sultan Khan tendered his resignation from the provincial cabinet, minutes after the chief minister tweeted that he had asked him to do so over his "alleged appearance in a video" leaked on social media. The purported video, shared on Twitter by PTI's official account, showed some parliamentarians from KP assembly sitting before and counting stacks of cash reportedly ahead of the Senate elections in 2018.