The electoral process will kick off on April 3, with polling stations established in national and provincial assemblies to elect representatives for 48 seats.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Feb 5th, 2024) The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday revealed that the Senate's general elections are slated to occur on April 3.
The electoral process will kick off on April 3, with polling stations established in national and provincial assemblies to elect representatives for 48 seats.
As per the details, Sindh and Punjab will each elect 12 senators, while Islamabad will nominate two senators. Additionally, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan will appoint 11 new senators each.
The terms of all 52 current senators are due to conclude on March 11th. This includes 12 senators from Punjab and Sindh, as well as the four former FATA senators. Following the completion of their terms, 11 senators from both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, along with two senators from Islamabad, will vacate their positions.
Under the 25th constitutional amendment, the four Senate seats from the former FATA region will not undergo re-election. The Punjab Assembly will nominate 12 senators, comprising seven general members, two women, two technocrats, and one minority representative.
The sources said that the PML-N plans to collaborate with allied parties such as the PPP, PML-Q, and the IPP in the Senate elections. Additionally, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) is expected to field candidates in the Senate race.
On March 8th, 2024, 11 senators from Punjab are scheduled to conclude their terms. Among the retiring senators are four PML-N-supported representatives: Dr. Asif Kirmani, Dr. Musadik Malik, Rana Mahmood ul Hassan, and Khalid Shaheen Butt.
Two senators from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) camp, Dr. Shahzad Waseem and Waleed Iqbal, are due to retire. The terms of two female senators, supported by the PML-N and PTI respectively - Nuzhat Sadiq and Seemi Ezdi, are also coming to an end.
Additionally, two senators from Punjab's technocrat and ulema seats, including Hafiz Abdul Kareem and Ishaq Dar, both supported by the PML-N, will retire. Kamran Michael's tenure on the minority seat is also set to conclude.
