ECP to hear Murad Saeed’s Senate seat case on 16th

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finally fixed for hearing on this month’s 16th a case involving a Senate seat that fell vacant after the electoral body first disqualified PTI’s Murad Saeed from his legislative membership in consequence of a court verdict, announced by-poll on the said seat, but then postponed this election to decide on the legality of Saeed’s disqualification. The cause list issued by the ECP on Thursday revealed that the notices were issued to the persons who are parties to this case to appear before an ECP bench hearing this case on the morning of June 16. On April 21, in an allegedly controversial move, the electoral body postponed the by-election on the said Senate seat on an application moved by a Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker, only two days before the said by-poll was scheduled on April 23. “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 after hearing an application moved by Jalal Khan, the Member Provincial Assembly (MPA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who belongs to PML-N. Headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, a three-member ECP bench heard the application that sought suspension of the Senate by-election on the aforementioned seat “in the light of a constitutional anomaly. ” During the hearing of the case, the petitioner, along with his counsel, appeared before the ECP bench to argue that the ECP’s decision to declare as vacant the aforementioned Senate was not legally valid keeping in view that Saeed had not taken oath as a senator from the said seat in the first place. “In the present case, no lawful vacancy has ever existed because Murad Saeed never took oath, nor entered upon office, therefore, he never became a member of the Senate in the constitutional sense, ” argued the counsel. The ECP bench accepted the petition, and the matter is since pending. It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) fielded Irfan Saleem for April 23 by-election. Regarded as a loyalist of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, Saleem is rated as a potential contender for the aforementioned Senate slot keeping in view the PTI’s strength in the KP provincial legislature. Allegedly, the ECP’s decision to postpone the by-election aimed at blocking Saleem’s way to the Upper House of the Parliament. On March 7, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi handed Saeed a 10-year sentence in a May 9 riots case. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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