ECP issues schedule for FATA Senate elections

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued the schedule for the upcoming Senate elections in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

According to the schedule, polling on four FATA seats will be held on March 3. The returning officer will issue a public notice inviting nomination papers on February 7, while February 12 is the last date for filing nomination papers. A list of nominated candidates will be published on February 13.

Scrutiny of the nomination papers will be conducted by the returning officer on February  15. Appeals against acceptance or rejection of the nomination papers will be heard on February 17. Decisions on the appeals will be announced on February  20.

February  21 will be the last date for withdrawal of candidature.

In another development, the ECP also issued the schedule for election on a Senate seat from Punjab, which was left vacated due to disqualification of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Senator Nehal Hashmi on contempt of court charges.

The election for the seat will take place on March 1 – two days prior to the scheduled election on 52 Senate seats.

Earlier, ECP issued the election schedule for the 2018 Senate election which will be held on March 3.

According to the ECP, nomination papers will be acquired from the offices of returning officers concerned (during office timings) from February 4 to February 6. Scrutiny of the nomination papers would be done by February 9.

The list of contesting candidates would be issued on February 15 while nomination papers can be withdrawn till February 16.

According to the ECP, four senators will be elected on general seats from FATA, 11 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan each, and 12 each from Sindh and Punjab — including seven on general seats, two on technocrats’ seats, two on women’s seats and one on a minorities’ seat.

Islamabad too will elect two senators — on general and technocrat seats. A total of 52 senators are set to complete their term this year.

Eighteen of the 26 Pakistan People’s Party senators including Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, Opposition Leader Aitzaz Ahsan, Taj Haider and Farhatullah Babar will be retiring this year.

Nine out of 27 Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz senators will be retiring, including former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

The Senate constitutes a total of 104 members — 23 each from the four provinces, eight from FATA and four from Islamabad. The 23 provincial seats have 14 general, and four each for women and technocrats, one for minorities.

Half of the Senate retires after every three years, while the total term for a senator is six years.