Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf finalises Senate candidates; elections set for April 2

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), following an initial consultation, has finalised the names of two more candidates to contest the impending Senate elections on April 2 as reported by ARY News.

Sources within PTI told ARY News that Zulfi Bukhari and Hamid Khan, a founding member of the party, are among the hopefuls from Islamabad. Meanwhile, PTI has already awarded a ticket to Ilyas Meharban from Islamabad to participate in the Senate polls.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) recently announced that elections for 48 Senate seats will be held on April 2, marking the end of the six-year term for the current Senators. With 52 seats set to become vacant, elections will only be conducted for 48 senators.

This reduction is a result of the abolition of four reserved seats for the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) following the 25th constitutional amendment.

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

Moreover, representatives from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan will take part 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 preparation for 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, will serve as the Returning Officer in the federal capital. Additionally, Aijaz Anwar Chohan, Sharifullah, Shamshad Khan, and Muhammad Farid Afridi have been designated as returning officers in Punjab, Sindh, KP, and Balochistan, respectively.

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