Pakistan: PTI Finalizes Senate Candidates for April 2 Elections

According to ARY News, after an initial consultation, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has confirmed the selection of two additional candidates to participate in the upcoming Senate elections scheduled for April 2.

Insiders within PTI informed ARY News that Zulfi Bukhari and Hamid Khan, a founding member of the party, are being considered as candidates from Islamabad for the upcoming Senate elections. Additionally, PTI has already granted a nomination to Ilyas Meharban from Islamabad for the Senate polls.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has revealed that on April 2, elections will take place for 48 Senate seats, marking the conclusion of the current Senators’ six-year term. Out of the 52 seats becoming vacant, elections will only cover 48 of them.

This decrease is due to the elimination of four reserved seats for the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) following the 25th constitutional amendment.

According to the electoral watchdog, the official schedule for the elections is slated to be issued on March 14. The polling will cover seven general seats, two for women, two for technocrats (including Ulema), and one for non-Muslims from Sindh and Punjab.

Additionally, representatives from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan will participate in electing members for seven general seats, two women, and two technocrats (including Ulema). Members of the National Assembly will elect one general seat and one technocrat seat (including Ulema) from the federal capital.

In anticipation of the upcoming elections, the ECP has appointed returning officers (ROs) for Islamabad and the four provinces. Saeed Gul, the Director General Training of the ECP, has been appointed as the Returning Officer in the federal capital. Additionally, Aijaz Anwar Chohan, Sharifullah, Shamshad Khan, and Muhammad Farid Afridi have been named as returning officers in Punjab, Sindh, KP, and Balochistan, respectively.

Moreover, by-elections for six vacant Senate seats are scheduled for Thursday, March 14. The polling will occur at the upper house of parliament, as well as at the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies in Karachi and Quetta, as reported by ARY News.