Senate elections

The fundamental problem with the Senate elections is not being addressed at all in spite of all the hue and cry being raised about horse-trading. In the current system, senators who are nominated by party heads are all loyal cronies. They represent neither the people nor the provinces from which they are elected but their party bosses.
Therefore, the Senate , in essence, is a reflection and extension of the National Assembly. In its present composition it cannot look after the interests of the provinces, which is its primary role. As a matter of fact we do not need Senate elections at all. Vacant seats in the Senate can be allocated to political parties by the ECP in proportion to their strength in their respective provincial assemblies. The party heads can then nominate their senators to fill up the allocated seats without unnecessary exercise of elections. This way there will be no horses to trade. This solution needs some refinement by constitutional experts. In principle, it fits very well with our electoral system.
Brig (r) Usman Shah
Rawalpindi