The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has postponed the Senate by-election scheduled for tomorrow on Punjab’s general seat, citing the ongoing court proceedings regarding reserved seats, reported 24NewsHD TV Channel on Wednesday.
According to ECP sources, polling was set to take place in the Punjab Assembly, but due to the legal case under hearing related to reserved seats, the election has been suspended until further notice.
No new date has yet been finalised, and the decision on the next polling day will depend on the court's verdict.
It is noteworthy that on May 21, 2025, the PPP, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), and PML-Q announced their support for the PML-N candidate, Hafiz Abdul Kareem, in the by-election.
Sources told 24NewsHD TV that Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan reached out to IPP’s Shoaib Siddiqui, PML-Q’s Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, and PPP leadership to secure their votes for the PML-N.
The Senate seat contest was set between Hafiz Abdul Kareem (PML-N) and Ijaz Minhas (PTI). After the denial of reserved seats to PTI, the strength of the House dropped from 371 to 341 members, setting the winning threshold at 171 votes.
With the backing of allied parties, Hafiz Abdul Kareem reportedly secured support from 236 MPAs, leaving PTI’s candidate with only 103 MPAs.
The ECP has assured that a new election date will be announced once the reserved seats case concludes in court.
Reporter: Usman Khadam Kamboh