The Senate, the Upper House of Parliament, went into disarray for three weeks as 52 senators, more than half of its members, including the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, retired at the end of their constitutional terms, while the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will announce the schedule for the Senate election on March 14.
The Senate election timetable will be released on March 14, and nomination papers can be received from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) headquarters and four provincial secretariats.
The nomination papers can be submitted to the relevant ECP offices on March 15 and 16.
According to the legislation, the terms of 52 Senate members expired on Tuesday, including Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Deputy Chairman Mirza Afridi, Leader of the House Ishaq Dar, Leader of the Opposition Dr. Shahzad Waseem, and Senator Raza Rabbani.
The terms of 11 senators backed by the PML-N, 13 by the PPP, 7 by the PTI, and two each by the JUI-F, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), and National Party have expired.
Four senators from the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and one each from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), MQM-P, and Pakistan Muslim League-F (PML-F) have retired.
Those who have retired include Moula Bux Chandio, Farogh Naseem, Dr. Musadik Malik, Faisal Javed, and Azam Khan Swati. Asad Ali Junejo and Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who represented Islamabad, have both retired from the Senate.
Following the general election, six Senate seats became vacant as senators won MNA seats. By-elections to fill these empty seats will be held on March 14.
Senators serve six-year terms, with half retiring every three years. New senators are usually elected days before their terms expire, but this time that was not possible. The new scenario arose as a result of the delay in having general elections, the absence of an electoral college, and the ECP's failure to arrange timely general elections.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will declare the election timetable for Senate vacant seats on March 14.