Senate becomes dysfunctional as 52 senators retire

ISLAMABAD: With the retirement of 52 Senate members, the Senate will remain dysfunctional for at least three weeks starting today.

The term of the 52 Senate members, including Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, Deputy Chairman Mirza Afridi, Leader of the House Ishaq Dar, Leader of the Opposition Dr. Shahzad Waseem and Senator Raza Rabbani, ended on Monday night.

After its merger into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the four FATA seats in the Upper House will no longer exist, reducing the total membership of the new Senate from 100 to 96.

The term of 11 senators supported by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), 13 by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), seven by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and two each from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), and National Party have ended as of Monday.

Four senators supported by Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), along with one senator from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), and Pakistan Muslim League-F, (PML-F) have also retired on Monday.

Those who retired on Monday also include, Moula Bux Chandio, Farogh Naseem, Dr Musadik Malik, Faisal Javed and Azam Khan Swati. Muhammad Asad Ali Khan Junejo and Mushahid Hussain Sayed representing Islamabad, have also retired from Senate.

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After the general elections, six Senate seats have become vacant as a result of the winners in those elections. By-elections to fill these vacant seats will take place on March 14.

The term of a senator is six years, but half of them retire every three years and elections are held to fill the vacancies. These elections normally take place days before the expiry of the senators’ term, but that could not happen this time around.

According to the ECP, polling to fill 48 vacancies will be held on April 2 and the commission will issue the election schedule on Thursday.