Murad Saeed’s disqualification: ECP bench reserves judgement on Senate seat

ISLAMABAD: The electoral body has finally reserved its verdict in a case that remained pending for over two months, involving a “complex” situation that emerged following the disqualification of PTI’s Murad Saeed from Senate membership.

During the proceedings on Tuesday, Barrister Yaseen Raza Khan, the counsel for the petitioner, once again argued that the electoral body’s decision to declare the aforementioned Senate seat as vacant had not been legally valid keeping in view the fact that Saeed had not taken oath as a senator on the said seat in the first place.

He pleaded the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to issue an order to clarify the matter.

Defence lawyer Ali Gohar Durrani argued that the ECP had disqualified Saeed from the Senate’s membership in March this year, and that it issued the by-poll schedule accordingly — in the same month. The counsel further argued that an election schedule once issued could not be withdrawn unless an electoral candidate dies.

A three-member ECP bench, headed by the Chief Election Commissioner, Sikandar Sultan Raja, and comprising Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Shah Muhammad Jatoi, heard the case and reserved the verdict, which is expected to be announced in the coming days.

On 21 April this year, the ECP had postponed by-election on the said Senate seat on an application filed by a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker only two days before the said by-poll was scheduled to be held.

“The matter requires detailed discussion and assistance, therefore, the office is directed to issue notices to all the contesting candidates and necessary parties for appearance and assistance on the question of law raised by the applicant,” read a written order issued by the ECP bench on April 21 after entertaining an application seeking postponement of the by-poll, moved by Jalal Khan, Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who is part of the PML-N.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had fielded Irfan Saleem for the April 23 by-election.

Regarded as a loyalist of the PTI founder, Saleem is rated as a potential contender for the aforementioned Senate slot in view of the PTI’s strength in the KP legislature.

On March 7 this year, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi had handed Saeed a 10-year sentence in May9 riots case.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026