ISLAMABAD - Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday fixed March 20th as polling day for the four vacant FATA seats in Senate after the 'controversial' Presidential order was repealed.
Six independent FATA MNAs had challenged the Presidential order in a court of law that sought bar on FATA lawmakers to cast more than a vote for Senate candidate against the rights given to the MNAs by former President Pervez Musharraf of casting as many votes as the number of vacant seats in Senate for FATA.
According to a notification issued by ECP, election on four vacant seats of the Senate from FATA would be held on Friday.
This notification has been issued after partial modification in an earlier notification of March 6th about election on FATA seats and in pursuance of the Section 10 of the Senate Election Act 1975 read with clause (3) of Article 59 and clause (3) of Article 224 of the Constitution and the State and Frontier Regions Division notification dated July 7 1975.
The ECP has called upon the members of National Assembly from FATA to elect four members for the Senate against general seats, in place of the Senators who had retired from the Upper House on March 11 after completing their six years tenure in the Senate.
The polling for election of four Senators from FATA shall be held in the Parliament House on March 20 from 9.am to 4 pm on Friday. Interestingly, the six independent candidates have rejoiced the repeal of Presidential order and are still stuck to their earlier plan of electing the four candidates on which they had agreed mutually.
According to FATA lawmakers, the overnight Ordinance was issued only to prevent independent MNAs from electing their candidates and to allow PML-N FATA MNAs to clinch one or two seats for the ruling party.
The six FATA MNAs under the 2002 Presidential order on FATA Senate seats that was restored, can elect their four candidates although 36 aspirants are vying for the four slots in Upper House.
The four candidates whose chances are bright in getting through the election are, Taj Muhammad Afridi, brother of MNA Shah Gi Gul Afridi, Momin Khan, brother of MNA Nasir Khan, Aurangzeb Afridi maternal uncle of PTI MNA Qaiser Jamal and Sajjad Turi, relative of MNA Sajid Hussain Turi.