The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday issued the long-awaited schedule for Senate elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Punjab, setting July 21 as the polling date for several seats that have remained vacant due to delays stemming from an incomplete electoral college.
According to an official notification, polling for seven general seats, two reserved seats for women, and two for technocrats and ulema from K-P will be held on July 21 at the provincial assembly building in Peshawar.
The elections had earlier been scheduled for April 2, 2024, but were postponed after the K-P Assembly speaker refused to administer oaths to members elected on reserved seats. The impasse left the electoral college incomplete, prompting the ECP to delay the polls.
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In addition, the commission has also announced the election programme for the Senate seat vacated by Dr Sania Nishtar. A public notice will be issued on July 9, while nomination papers can be filed on July 10 and 11. Scrutiny of papers will be conducted on July 16, and polling has been scheduled for July 31.
Meanwhile, the ECP has also resumed the election process for the Senate seat left vacant following the demise of Senator Sajid Mir. These elections were similarly delayed due to the incomplete composition of the electoral college.
As per the revised schedule, the returning officer will release an updated list of candidates on July 15, with the deadline for withdrawal of nomination papers set for July 16. Polling will be held on July 21, at the Punjab Assembly building in Lahore.
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Separately, the ECP also issued a schedule for the election of two vacant seats reserved for women in the National Assembly from K-P, previously held by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
The returning officer will issue a public notice on July 8, with nomination papers to be submitted on July 9 and 10. Scrutiny will take place on July 14, and the final list of candidates will be released on July 24.
The commission noted that the PML-N’s earlier priority list for women’s reserved seats had been exhausted, and the party has been directed to submit a fresh list to the returning officer by July 10.
To facilitate the completion of the electoral college ahead of the Senate elections, the ECP has written to the speakers of the National Assembly and the relevant provincial assemblies, requesting them to administer oaths to newly notified members elected on reserved seats.
