LAHORE: The Pakis­tan Peoples Party has demanded that the Election Commission of Pakistan hold early elections to the 11 Senate seats presently lying vacant.

In a letter written to the chief election commissioner on Thursday, PPP Central Election Cell in-charge Senator Taj Haider asked the former to hold elections to the 11 vacant seats of the Senate as soon as possible.

Senator Haider said the upper house of the bicameral parliament is incomplete because its 11 seats, or about 10 per cent of the total strength, are lying vacant.

He said Section 127 of the Elections Act deals with by-elections to vacant seats in the Senate, while Section 107 prescribes the procedure for all elections to the Senate under which not more than one day is given to complete each stage of the schedule.

“It is requested that elections be held for the vacant seats in the Senate as soon as possible,” he said, giving names of the senators who have vacated the seats.

These senators are Yousuf Raza Gilani, Jam Mehtab, Nisar Khuhro, Ghafoor Haideri, Sarfraz Bugti, Nuzhat Sadiq, Sadiq Sanjrani, Prince Omar, late Rana Maqbool, Shaukat Tareen, and caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2024