ISLAMABAD, Dec 03 (NNI): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), in its recent notification of the final list of constituencies, has revised the number of National Assembly general seats to 336, indicating a decrease of six seats from the previous count of 342.
The constituency list released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) signifies a decline in the general seats of the National Assembly from 272 to 266. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) representation in the National Assembly has been reduced from 51 seats to 45.
After the process of delimitation, the National Assembly seats for the merged districts have been reduced to six from the previous 12.
This adjustment aligns with the provisions of the 25th Constitutional Amendment, following the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with KP, and is determined by population considerations.
Punjab will have 141 general seats in the NA, Sindh 61, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 45, Balochistan 16, and three will be from Islamabad. Women will have 60 reserved seats, while minorities will have 10 seats.
Punjab would have 371 seats, of which 297 would be general seats. Sindh would have 168 seats, of which 130 would be general seats. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly will have 145 seats, of which 115 will be general seats. The Balochistan Assembly will have 65 seats, of which 51 will be general seats.
Significantly, three Waziristan districts—Lower South, Upper South, and North—now share a single seat, consolidating their previous separate representations. South Waziristan, split into two districts, and North Waziristan, formerly with one seat each, now have a combined representation.
Moreover, Orakzai, the former FATA district, has integrated with Hangu, resulting in the consolidation of their respective seats into a single constituency.
Two seats in Kurram district, previously divided on sectarian lines, have now merged into one.
In the 1973 delimitation, ex-Fata had eight NA seats, aligning with the previous census. Under General Pervez Musharraf’s administration, the merged districts were allocated 12 seats.
The ECP has declared general elections for February 8, 2024, and the polls will follow the recently released constituency lists. NNI
