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Is an Un-sworn Candidate a Senator? ECP Reserves Verdict on Disputed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senate By-Poll Schedule
The ECP has reserved its verdict on the suspension of the KP Senate by-election schedule for the seat left by PTI's Murad Saeed. While the PML-N argues the election is invalid because Saeed never took the oath of office, the PTI claims the ECP is intentionally delaying the poll to prevent Imran Khan-loyalist Irfan Saleem from winning the clear majority seat.
ND
by News Desk
2026-06-30
Is an Un-sworn Candidate a Senator? ECP Reserves Verdict on Disputed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senate By-Poll Schedule

Detailed Report

  • The Courtroom Closure: A three-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, formally reserved its verdict on Tuesday, June 30, 2026. The high-stakes case centers on whether to suspend or proceed with the scheduled Senate by-election in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The electoral process was abruptly halted just two days before its planned April 23 date following an emergency petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Jalal Khan.

  • The PML-N Argument: Representing the petitioner, Advocate Yasin Raza presented a highly technical constitutional argument. He contended that the seat in question never technically became "vacant" under Article 224(5) of the Constitution because the original winner, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Murad Saeed, never actually became a Senator. Raza argued that because Saeed was in hiding and never took the oath of office or signed the official Senate register, he remained merely a successful candidate. "The Senate seat is neither vacant nor is he a member. The ECP should clarify this," Raza submitted, calling the initial poll scheduling legally flawed.

  • The Political Undercurrent: The legal battle carries deep political consequences for the upper house of parliament. The PTI has fielded Irfan Saleem—a staunch loyalist of party founder Imran Khan—for the vacant seat. Given the PTI's overwhelming majority inside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly, Saleem's victory was viewed as a mathematical certainty. Party insiders and independent critics have argued that the eleventh-hour legal challenges and subsequent ECP postponement were intentionally engineered by the ruling coalition to stall and block Saleem from entering the Senate.
Tagged:

#ECP #SenateByPolls #MuradSaeed #KhyberPakhtunkhwa #PTI #PMLN #SikandarSultanRaja #PakistanPolitics
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