The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to hold Senate elections on April 3. The ECP has finalized the schedule for the elections of the Senate. Polling for 48 seats of the Senate will be held on April 3 in the national and four provincial assemblies. On April 3, twelve senators will be elected each from Sindh and Punjab, while two senators will be elected from Islamabad. Eleven new senators will become part of upper house each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.  Fifty-two senators of the Senate will retire after completing their term on March 11. Twelve senators each from Punjab and Sindh and four senators from former Fata will complete their term. Similarly, 11 senators each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and two 2 from Islamabad will be retiring on March 11. The senators will bid farewell to the upper house at the end of their six-year term.  Under the 25th constitutional amendment, there will be no re-election on the four Senate seats of the former Fata.

The Punjab Assembly will elect 12 new members of the Senate. The provincial assembly will elect seven general, two women, two technocrats and one minority member of the Senate. Sources say the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with coalition partners (Peoples Party, Muslim League-Q and IPP) will contest the Senate elections . The Sunni Ittehad Council will also field its candidates in the Senate elections. On March 8, 2024, 11 senators from Punjab will complete their term and retire. Among those who will resign after completing their term are PML-N's Dr Asif Kirmani, Dr Musadik Malik, Rana Mahmoodul Hassan and Khalid Shaheen Butt. On women reserved seats, two senators belonging to Punjab will retire after completing their six-year tenure. PML-N Senator Nuzhat Sadiq and PTI's Seemi Aizdi will bid farewell to the upper house. Two PTI senators will retire after completing their term. PTI's retiring senators will be Dr Shahzad Wasim and Waleed Iqbal.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)