ISLAMABAD, March 7: President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday called the Senate to meet on Friday for a session that would bid farewell to members retiring after a three-year term and welcom their successors.

Half of the 100-seat upper house is due to retire on Saturday in accordance with a draw of lots held in January that gave the remaining 50 members a six-year term starting from the inauguration of the present Senate in March 2003.

Twenty of the retiring senators have been re-elected, being among the 45 declared elected after Monday’s voting by four provincial assemblies. The election for the 50 Senate seats to be vacated on March 11 will be completed on Friday when the 342-seat National Assembly will elect one senator for the only general seat at stake from the Islamabad capital territory and 12 MNAs from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas will elect four Fata senators.