The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has officially announced that the by-election for a vacant Senate seat from Punjab will be held on May 29, following the passing of veteran politician and religious scholar Senator Professor Sajid Mir.
Mir, a prominent figure in the PML-N and leader of Jamiat Ahle Hadith Pakistan, died of a heart attack on May 3. He was 86 years old. His most recent election to the Senate was in 2021 on a PML-N ticket, representing Sialkot. He had previously served on multiple occasions.
As per the ECP’s notification, the schedule begins with the submission of nomination papers on May 14 and 15, with the list of nominated candidates to be published on May 16.
Scrutiny of nomination papers will occur on May 17, and appeals regarding their acceptance or rejection can be filed by May 20.
These appeals will be decided by May 22, after which a revised candidate list will be published on May 23.
Candidates will have until May 24 to withdraw their names, with the final vote taking place at the Punjab Assembly on May 29, between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm.
Nomination forms are available at the ECP’s provincial office at 10-Court Street, Lahore.
This by-election follows a similar vote held earlier this month in Sindh. In a by-election that was called due to the death of Senator Taj Haider, PPP candidate Syed Waqar Mehdi received 111 votes and was thus elected to the Senate on May 6. The MQM-P’s Nighat Mirza received 36 votes, while the PTI opted to boycott the process.
As political preparations gear up for the vote, the contest to fill his seat is expected to draw significant attention, particularly in light of shifting alliances and party dynamics at the federal level.
