Senate of Pakistan. Photo: File 

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced on Monday the schedule for the Senate elections. 

According to the ECP, polling to elect senators will be held on March 3 whereas nomination papers can be submitted from February 4-6 and their scrutiny will be completed by February 9. 

The holding of the elections has been the subject of controversy with government officials alleging that a conspiracy is afoot to deny the ruling party an increase in numbers in the Upper House of Parliament. 

A total of 52 senators are set to complete their term this year. 

According to the ECP, four senators will be elected on general seats from FATA, 11 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan each, and 12 each from Sindh and Punjab ? including seven on general seats, two on technocrats' seats, two on women's seats and one on a minorities' seat.

Islamabad too will elect two senators ? one general and one technocrat.

Raza Rabbani, Ishaq Dar among those retiring 

Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, Opposition Leader Aitzaz Ahsan, Taj Haider and Farhatullah Babar are among 18 of 26 Pakistan Peoples Party senators who will be retiring.

Similarly, from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, nine of its 27 senators will be retiring this year. They include senior party leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar, who has been in London on medical grounds since October last year while a corruption case is under way against him in the accountability court. 

The numbers 

The Senate consists of a total of 104 members ? 23 each from the four provinces, eight from FATA and four from Islamabad Capital Territory. The 23 seats of each province break down into 14 general seats, four each for women and technocrats and one for minorities. 

While the total term for a senator is six years, half of the Senate retires after every three years.