ECP schdules Senate, Punjab Assembly by-polls for Oct 30 and Nov 23

• KP Assembly to elect new senator on seat fell vacant after PTI’s Shibli Fraz disqualified in May 9 case on Oct 30
• By-polls to two Faisalabad and one Muzaffargarh constituencies to be held on Nov 23
• ECP issues detailed schedules, appoints returning officers for smooth polling

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday announced by-elections for a Senate general seat—vacated following the disqualification of Senator Shibli Fraz—as well as three constituencies of the Punjab Assembly, to be held on November 23.

The Senate seat became vacant after PTI’s Shibli Fraz was disqualified when a district and sessions court convicted him in a case related to the May 9, 2023 riots.

According to the ECP notification, polling for the Senate by-election will be conducted on October 30 inside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly building. A public notice regarding the election will be issued on October 7, formally initiating the electoral process.

According to the notification, nomination papers can be filed from October 8–9, while the list of candidates will be published on October 10. Scrutiny of papers will be completed by October 13, with appeals against acceptance or rejection to be filed by October 15. and appeals will be decided by October 17.

The ECP has appointed KP’s Provincial Election Commissioner Saeed Gul as Returning Officer for the Senate election, while senior officials, including Muhammad Farid Afridi (Joint Provincial Election Commissioner), Muhammad Nadeem Khan (Director Elections), and others have been designated as polling officers to supervise the process.

Punjab Assembly By-Elections

The ECP also scheduled polling for three Punjab Assembly constituencies—PP-115 and PP-116 Faisalabad, and PP-269 Muzaffargarh—on November 23.

The seats fell vacant following the disqualification of MPAs Shahid Javed and Muhammad Ismael. The commission said all necessary arrangements are being made to ensure free, fair, and transparent polls.

As per the schedule, public notices will be issued on October 10. Nomination papers may be filed between October 13–15, with the preliminary list published on October 16. Scrutiny will conclude by October 20, while appeals may be filed until October 24. Final decisions will be announced by October 31, and the final list of candidates will be published on November 1. Withdrawals will be allowed until November 3, with election symbols allotted on November 4.

Appointment of Election Officers

The ECP notified that for constituencies PP-115 and PP-116 Faisalabad, Deputy Commissioner Faisalabad Capt (r) Nadeem Nasir will act as District Returning Officer.

For PP-115 Returning Officer – Ashfaq Ahmed, Assistant Commissioner (HRM & Coordination); Assistant Returning Officers – MST Asmat Firdous (Deputy Child Officer, Municipal Corporation Faisalabad) and Mansoor Akhtar Ghouri (District Education Officer Literacy).

PP-116: Returning Officer – Imran Asmat Pannu, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue); Assistant Returning Officers – Zahid Gill (Tehsildar, City Faisalabad) and Muhammad Nabeel Iftikhar (Assistant Education Officer, M-5).

For PP-269 Muzaffargarh, Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Usman Tahir will act as District Returning Officer, while Khizer Zahoor, Assistant Commissioner Muzaffargarh, has been designated as Returning Officer. Abdul Rehman (Deputy Director Colleges) and Muhammad Shahid Ali (Deputy Director LG&CD Muzaffargarh) will serve as Assistant Returning Officers.