PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released the final list of candidates contesting the upcoming Senate elections from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to the ECP, a total of 16 candidates are in the race for 11 vacant Senate seats from the province. The election will be held on July 21.

For the general seats, notable candidates include: Atta-ul-Haq from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F), Talha Mahmood from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Niaz Ahmed from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Meanwhile, prominent independent candidates include: Murad Saeed, Azam Swati and Noor-ul-Haq Qadri

The election is expected to be closely contested, with a mix of political heavyweights and independent candidates vying for representation in the upper house of Parliament.

According to the Election Commission, Faisal Javed, Mirza Mohammad Afridi, Mohammad Waqas, Dilawar Khan, Faiz -ur -Rehman, Irfan Saleem, Shafqat Ayaz, Khurram Zeeshan, Azhar Qazi and Asif Rafiq are also among the independent candidates.

The Election Commission says that there are 4 female candidates for 2 women’s seats, including Rubina Khalid and Rubina Naz from the PPP, while Aisha Banu and Mahesh Ali are standing in the elections as an independent candidate.

According to the ECP, there are six candidates for the two seats in the technocrat and the scholar, including Dilawar Khan from JUI -F, while Khalid Masood, Irshad Hussain, Azam Swati, Noor ul Haq Qadri and Waqas Ahmed Qazi are independent candidates.