Senate elections to be held on March 3: ECP

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday announced that Senate elections will be held on March 3, as political parties stepped up efforts to gain the biggest slice of the legislative pie come polling day.

The polling will be held on 48 seats — two in Islamabad, 11 each in Punjab and Sindh, and 12 each in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan – that will fall vacant on the expiration of the term of the members, Geo News reported.

According to an ECP notification, polling will be held from 0900 hours to 1700 hours simultaneously in Parliament House, Islamabad, and provincial assembly buildings in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

A public notice will be issued by returning officers for inviting nomination papers on February 11 while the dates for filing of nomination papers by the candidates with the returning officer will be February 12 to February 13.

The nominated candidates will be announced on February 14, while the date for scrutiny of nomination papers will be February 15 to February 16. The dates for filing of appeals against acceptance or rejection of nominations will be February 17 to February 18.

The dates for disposal of appeals by the Tribunals will be February 19 to February 20. The date of publication of revised list of candidates will be February 21 while the date for withdrawal of candidature will be February 22.

The commission called upon the members of provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces to elect members against seven general seats, two women seats and two seats for Technocrats including ulema from each province and one seat for non-Muslims each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, which are going to become vacant on March 11.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan in a television interview aired on Thursday expressed confidence that the government would win a majority in Parliament in the Senate polls which will enable it to carry out smooth legislation.

“Insha’Allah, we are hopeful… All legislation is stuck there (in the Senate). We faced utmost difficulty during the last two years. Every law used to get stuck in the Senate as we didn’t have a majority,” the Prime Minister said.

He said in a parliamentary democracy, reforms cannot take place without the joint working of the government and the opposition. He said though it is the government’s responsibility to bring reforms, but it does not have the majority to enact necessary legislation.

To a question, the Prime Minister said the opposition’s criticism on open ballot could be a plan to deprive the government of majority in the Senate election. He questioned as to why the political parties, which had agreed for open ballot in Senate election under Charter of Democracy, had now backtracked.

“They are just trying to pressurise the government… Their only effort is to get the relief in form of NRO,” he added. The Prime Minister’s interview also coincided with a telephonic conversation between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. The two leaders agreed they would take part in the Senate polls under a comprehensive strategy.

They also exchanged views on the prevailing political landscape of the country. Sharif assured Maulana Fazlur Rehman of the PML-N’s cooperation to make their “long march” a success.

Maulana Fazl was quoted as saying those who had “embarked on the plane of PTI have started to land” while referring to the video scandal.