ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced the list of candidates for the upcoming Senate elections polls.
Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Friday disclosed in his various tweets that the party has finalised most of its candidates for the Senate polls.
“The PTI has finalised the names of most of its candidates. From Islamabad, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Fauzia Arshad have been selected as the PTI’s candidates,” he tweeted.
“From Sindh, Faisal Vawda will contest the election while Saifullah Abro will contest the election for the technocrats seat as the PTI’s candidate,” added the minister.
“From Punjab, Saifullah Niazi, Dr Zarqa and Barrister Ali Zafar will contest the election as PTI candidates. Announcements regarding the other seats will be made later,” said Chaudhry.
“Shibli Faraz, Mohsin Aziz, Dost Mohammad, Sania Nishtar and Farzana have been included in the list of final names.” he tweeted.
The names of other nominees will be announced later, Chaudhry said in his Twitter post.
Previously, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday issued the schedule for the upcoming Senate elections in the four provinces.
According to the details, release by ECP the last date for filing of nomination papers is February 13. This will be followed by a scrutiny process for the nominations which will be completed by February 16 while the last date for filing of appeals against acceptance or rejection of papers is February 18.
Furthermore, the notification added that the date for disposal of appeals is February 20 and the revised list of the contestants will be issued later on February 21 while the candidates can use the option of withdrawal of candidature till February 22.
The Senate elections will be held on 48 seats on March 3. The members will contest the election on 2 Islamabad, 11 Punjab, 11 Sindh, 12 KP and 12 Balochistan seats.
The polling time would be from 0900 hours to 1600 hours on March 3 while places of polling would be Parliament House, Islamabad for Federal Capital, Provincial Assembly building, Lahore for Punjab, provincial assembly building, Karachi for Sindh, provincial assembly building Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar for KP and provincial assembly building, Quetta for Balochistan.
Last week, President Arif Alvi also signed the Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 to pave the way for Senate elections to be held via an “open and identifiable ballot.”
According to the Ordinance, a copy of which has been shared by the president on his Twitter account, changes have been brought to Sections 81, 122 and 185 of the Elections Act, 2017.
The Ordinance will come into effect “at once” and “extend to the whole of Pakistan.”
Amendment of section 185, Act XXXIII of 2017 – “In the said Act, in section 185, for the word “an”, the expression “subject to section 122, an” shall be substituted,” the presidential ordinance added.
According to Section 226 of the Constitution: “All elections under the Constitution, other than those of the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister, shall be by secret ballot.”
