The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued on Sunday the polling schedule for the two Senate seats from Islamabad. The announcement followed approval of the polling scheme by President Mamnoon Hussain. The Senate elections will be held on March 3 as 52 members of the Upper House of Parliament retire on March 11.
According to the ECP schedule for the capital, nomination papers can be taken by February 10 while their scrutiny will be conducted on February 13. Appeals against the returning officer's decision can be filed until February 16. The National Assembly elects the two Senate members from Islamabad. The ECP is yet to issue the schedule for the elections of senators from the tribal areas as the president has not approved for FATA the Elections Act-2017.
Moreover, the local ECP offices in the provinces were open today as contestants collected nomination papers for the Senate polls. Earlier, on Friday, the ECP issued the election schedule of all four provinces. According to the ECP, nomination papers can be submitted from February 4-6 and their scrutiny will be completed by February 9. The final list of the contestants will be issued on February 15 while contestants can take back their nomination papers 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.