Following the recent Senate elections, a new power equation has emerged in the Upper House of parliament, with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) now holding the most seats and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) becoming the second-largest party.
According to the updated party position, PPP leads the Senate with 26 members, followed by PTI with 22 seats, including one vacant seat formerly held by Sania Nishtar, which is also expected to go to PTI.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stands third with 20 members, while the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has three senators and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) holds four seats.
Other parties represented in the Senate include the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) with seven members, Awami National Party (ANP) with three, the National Party and PML-Q with one seat each, while the Sunni Ittehad Council and Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen also have one member each.
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The government alliance enjoys the support of five independent candidates, whereas the opposition has the backing of one independent senator.
Govt falls short of two-thirds majority
Despite securing a majority in the 96-member Senate, the government alliance holds 60 seats, still four short of the 64 required for a two-thirds majority. The opposition bloc commands 35 members, making it crucial for the ruling coalition to seek further alliances to push through constitutional amendments or critical legislation.
The JUI-F, led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has emerged as a key player. Without its support, the government cannot achieve a supermajority. However, sources suggest the government may still be able to bridge the gap by gaining support from the ANP and independent members.
