By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Senate elections to fill 30 vacant seats are underway today amidst a swirl of legal challenges that have cast a cloud of uncertainty over the process.
The elections have been overshadowed by a standoff in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, where disagreements between the provincial government led by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and the opposition over the swearing-in of new legislators have led to a legal impasse.
The speaker of the KP Assembly, Babar Saleem Swati, has filed a review petition against the Peshawar High Court’s order for immediate oath-taking, prompting the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to contemplate postponing the vote in the province.
“The commission is ready for the elections, but we are closely monitoring the situation in KP. We will delay the vote if the court’s orders are not followed,” an ECP official said.
The election, originally slated to fill 48 seats, has been narrowed down to 30 after the unopposed election of 18 senators from Punjab and Balochistan provinces.
From the initial pool of 147 candidates, the race has been distilled to 59 contenders, with 18 already securing their seats unopposed.
The remaining battles are fierce, especially in Sindh, where 11 candidates are contesting for seven general seats, and in KP, where 16 are vying for seven general seats. In Punjab, the focus is now on the reserved seats for technocrats, women, and minorities, following the unopposed election of seven candidates for general seats. The federal capital, too, is bracing for a tight race for one general and one technocrat seat.
The ruling coalition, consisting of former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) party and the Pakistan Peoples Party of slain prime minister Benazir Bhutto, is poised to fortify its position, potentially achieving a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
The PTI, currently the largest party in the upper house, is expected to further its lead, particularly through its stronghold in KP.
Among those elected unopposed are notable figures from the PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, ANP, and the National Party. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, an independent and former caretaker Punjab chief minister, along with several PML-N leaders, secured their Senate positions without a contest in Punjab. Adding to the political drama, Faisal Vawda, an independent candidate with military support, has joined the race in Sindh.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
