Deadline looms for senate election nomination papers submission

ISLAMABAD: As the clock ticks towards the deadline for submission, political fervor intensifies across Pakistan, marking the last day for candidates to file their nomination papers for the upcoming Senate election. With just hours remaining, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has disclosed that candidates from various political parties have received 24 nomination papers.

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However, a notable absence looms in the ECP office in Quetta as no candidates have yet submitted their papers, as confirmed by sources within the Balochistan provincial election commission. The submission window is set to close at half-past four this afternoon.

In Balochistan, three Senate seats lay vacant, including those of Mir Sarfraz Bugti, Sadiq Sanjrani, and Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidari.

Following the submission phase, scrutiny of the papers will ensue until March 5, with a subsequent window for appeals open until March 7. Decisions on appeals are slated for March 9, with the option for nominations to be withdrawn until March 10.

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In anticipation of the Senate election, polling in the Provincial Assemblies is scheduled for March 14, with voting set to transpire from 9 AM to 4 PM.

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Meanwhile, in a significant development, former prime minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stalwart Yusuf Raza Gilani has thrown his hat into the Senate election ring. Gilani’s decision to contest comes at the behest of the party, with his nomination papers formally submitted to the ECP by his legal representatives.