ISLAMABAD (RNN TV) — The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued a revised schedule for the long-delayed Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), announcing July 21 as the new date for polling.
According to an official notification obtained by Geo News, voting will take place from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the provincial assembly building in Peshawar. Elections will be held to fill seven general seats, two seats reserved for women, and two technocrat seats, including one for Ulema.
The delay in KP’s Senate elections stemmed from a legal standoff earlier this year. In March 2024, the ECP responded to petitions filed by five opposition-backed women MPAs-elect, stating that Senate elections in KP would be postponed unless the provincial assembly speaker administered oaths to lawmakers elected on reserved seats, as directed by the high court.
As a result of the speaker’s non-compliance, the ECP suspended Senate elections in KP on April 2 — the day polling was held in other provinces and Islamabad — until the matter was resolved.
In addition to the main Senate poll, the ECP has announced election schedules for other vacant seats. A by-election will be held for the Senate seat vacated by the late Senator Sajid Mir, as well as a separate vote to fill the seat reserved for women, which became vacant following the resignation of Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar.
Dr. Nishtar, who previously served as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, resigned from the Senate in October 2024. Her seat was formally declared vacant effective March 10, 2025, under Clause 1 of Article 64 of the Constitution. The ECP has set July 31 as the polling date for this vacant women’s seat.
Meanwhile, the electoral body has also released a schedule to fill two women-reserved seats in the National Assembly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These became vacant due to the exhaustion of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) priority list submitted for reserved seats.
The broader Senate elections held on April 2, 2024, resulted in major gains for the ruling coalition. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) emerged as the biggest winner with 11 seats, followed by PML-N with six. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and independent candidate Faisal Vawda secured one seat each.
With the rescheduled elections in KP, the Senate’s composition is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
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