ISLAMABAD – The Senate elections in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly are dependent on the oath-taking of reserve seats, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a seven-page decision published Thursday.
The Election Commission warned that the Senate election would be suspended until oaths were administered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The panel directed the Speaker of the KP Assembly to enforce the verdict of the Peshawar High Court.
A five-member bench led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, along with members Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana, and Justice (Retd) Ikram Ullah Khan, issued a decision on the petition regarding the non-administration of oaths to newly elected members on reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
In its decision, the committee highlighted that the right to vote is essential, and no voter can be denied it. The commission added that it has the ability to give such instructions and subsequent decisions to ensure that elections are conducted in an honest, just, and fair manner, in compliance with the law.
“Hence, if there is non-compliance with the directives issued under Article 218(3), along with Section 4(1) and Section 8(c) of the Act, the Commission may extend the time for completing the Senate election in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until the oath is administered to the Provincial Assembly members, including the applicants.”
