The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced a boycott of the upcoming Senate by-election for the seat left vacant after the disqualification of senior party leader Senator Ejaz Chaudhry.
According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, Salma Ejaz, wife of the disqualified senator and PTI’s expected candidate, declared that she would not contest the by-election, saying she refused to become part of what she described as “oppressive and fraudulent elections”.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has set September 9 as the date for polling to fill the vacant Punjab seat.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has issued its party ticket to senior leader and former interior minister Rana Sanaullah Khan for the contest.
A veteran politician, Sanaullah has held several key positions, including Punjab’s law minister and federal interior minister during the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government.
Analysts view his nomination as a strategic move by the PML-N to strengthen its position in the upper house of Parliament ahead of crucial legislative battles.
Reporter: Tayyab Saif