Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has revealed that Senate elections are set to take place on April 2 to fill 48 vacant seats. This move comes as the six-year term of the current Senators expires on Tuesday, leaving 52 seats in the upper house of parliament open.
The elections will be conducted to elect 48 senators, as four reserved seats for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) were abolished after the 25th Constitutional amendment. The official schedule for the elections will be issued on March 14, according to the electoral watchdog.
The polling will involve the election of members for seven general seats, two women, two seats for technocrats (including Ulema), and one seat for non-Muslims from Sindh and Punjab. Additionally, lawmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan will elect members against seven general seats, two women, and two seats for technocrats, including Ulema. Members of the National Assembly will also participate in electing one general seat and one seat for technocrats, including Ulema, from the federal capital.
The Election Commission appointed returning officers (ROs) for the Senate elections, with Saeed Gul as the RO in the federal capital and provincial election commissioners Aijaz Anwar Chohan, Sharifullah, Shamshad Khan, and Muhammad Farid Afridi serving as ROs in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan, respectively.
In addition to the Senate elections, by-elections for six vacant seats are scheduled for Thursday (March 14). These by-elections will take place in the federal capital, as well as at Sindh and Balochistan assemblies in Karachi and Quetta.
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