{
  "id": 3991602,
  "title": "'No oath, no membership': ECP withdraws notification for Senate by-poll on seat won by PTI's Murad Saeed",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/no-oath-no-membership-ecp-withdraws-notification-for-senate-by-poll",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-28T16:13:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2025774/no-oath-no-membership-ecp-withdraws-notification-for-senate-by-poll-on-seat-won-by-ptis-murad-saeed"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has formally withdrawn its April 2 notification for the by-election programme for a Senate seat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This seat had previously been declared vacant due to the disqualification of PTI senator-elect Murad Saeed. The withdrawal of the election programme came after critics accused the ECP of acting like a court by interpreting the Constitution to claim that no lawful vacancy had been created.\n\nThe ECP clarified that the difference between a \"returned candidate\" and a \"Member of Parliament\" is crucial. A returned candidate may be elected but does not automatically gain the status of a Parliament member until they take an oath. Article 65 of the Constitution requires such an oath before assuming the office. Until the oath is administered, a returned candidate remains merely an elected individual, not yet a member.\n\nThe ECP also cited Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution, which disqualifies a person from occupying an office if they have been deemed ineligible. In Saeed's case, he was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in a terror-related case. His seat was declared vacant by the ECP on March 25.\n\nJalal Khan, an MPA from the Pakistan Muslim League (N), filed a petition arguing that no lawful vacancy existed for a by-election. The ECP agreed, stating that since Saeed had not yet taken the oath and was thus not considered a member of Parliament, there was no valid grounds for holding a by-election. Consequently, the ECP accepted Khan's petition and withdrew the April 2 election programme.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday formally withdrew its April 2 notification for the by-election programme for a general Senate seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which it had earlier declared vacant following the disqualification of PTI senator-elect Murad Saeed. In a notification, the ECP withdrew the election programme issued under its April 2 notification to “fill one…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn - Pakistan",
        "title": "'No oath, no membership': ECP withdraws notification for Senate by-poll on seat won by PTI's Murad Saeed",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/no-oath-no-membership-ecp-withdraws-notification-for-senate-by-poll-3995322",
        "published": "2026-08-28T16:13:47.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Times",
        "title": "Govt withdraws Pakistan Telecommunication reorganisation bill from Senate",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/govt-withdraws-pakistan-telecommunication-reorganisation-bill-from",
        "published": "2026-08-28T17:49:44.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}