ECP Reserves Verdict on Murad Saeed Senate By-Poll Dispute
The Election Commission of Pakistan reserved its verdict on Tuesday in Islamabad over a dispute involving the suspended Senate by-election schedule for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa seat linked to PTI leader Murad Saeed. The case has drawn political attention because it affects representation in the upper house and comes amid continuing tensions between the PTI, the ECP and rival political parties.
The matter centres on whether the commission could proceed with a by-election after Murad Saeed’s disqualification, or whether the legal status of the seat required further clarification. The ECP had earlier postponed the Senate by-poll only days before voting was due to take place, following an application moved by a PML-N lawmaker.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja heard arguments from both sides. The petitioner’s counsel argued that the constitutional and legal position was not straightforward because Murad Saeed had won the Senate seat but had not taken oath or signed the official register.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s side maintained that Murad Saeed could not be treated as a sitting senator if he had never formally assumed office. The counsel also argued that the commission should clarify whether the seat was legally vacant, occupied, or affected by an election that could not be considered valid under the circumstances.
The PTI-backed candidate’s lawyer opposed that position and argued that once the ECP had issued a by-election schedule, it could not withdraw it except in limited situations recognised by election law. He said the commission had already declared the seat vacant and that the by-poll should not have been stopped after the schedule was announced.
The bench also examined the constitutional requirement that a vacant Senate seat should be filled within a specific period. Questions were raised during the proceedings about the powers available to the Senate chairman when a successful candidate does not take oath, and whether similar situations could create uncertainty over other elected seats.
Murad Saeed, a former federal minister and close ally of PTI founder Imran Khan, was sentenced earlier this year by an anti-terrorism court in a May 9 riots case. Following his disqualification, the ECP issued a schedule for a Senate by-election in KP, where PTI’s numerical strength in the provincial assembly had made its candidate a strong contender.
The case is politically significant because control of Senate seats can affect opposition strength, legislative strategy and committee influence in parliament. For PTI, the postponed by-election has been framed as part of a wider struggle over political representation, while opponents have insisted that legal requirements must be resolved before the process moves forward.
The ECP’s reserved verdict will determine the immediate future of the KP Senate seat and may also shape how similar disputes are handled when elected candidates are disqualified before formally taking oath. Political parties are now waiting to see whether the commission restores the by-poll schedule, revises the process, or issues a broader legal clarification.