ECP releases the NA-1 Chitral by-election schedule.
After Mr. Abdul Latif, MNA, was disqualified under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) released the timetable for the by-election in NA-1 Chitral Upper-cum-Chitral Lower on Thursday.
The ECP statement states that Abdul Latif’s disqualification was first announced on July 29 and was made effective on October 1st, when the Peshawar High Court revoked the temporary reprieve.
The Commission asked NA-1’s electors to choose a new member to take the vacancy, using the authority granted by Articles 224(4) and 254 of the Constitution.
On October 13, the Returning Officer will publish a notification to the public in accordance with the election schedule.
The candidates’ nomination papers will be received between October 15 and October 17, and on October 18, the names of the nominated candidates will be made public.
On October 22, nomination papers will be examined, and by October 27, appeals against the Returning Officer’s rulings must be filed.
All appeals will be decided by the Appellate Tribunal by November 3, and on November 4, the updated list of applicants will be made public.
November 5 is the deadline for withdrawing from the race and publishing the final list of candidates. On November 6, candidates will receive their election insignia.
On Sunday, November 23, 2025, the NA-1 Chitral Upper-cum-Chitral Lower by-election polling will take place.
Additionally, the election officers for the constituency were appointed by the ECP. Muhammad Iqbal, the District Election Commissioner of Chitral, will be the Returning Officer (RO) for NA-1, and Ijaz Ahmed, the Regional Election Commissioner of Malakand, has been named the District Returning Officer (DRO).
For information and necessary action, copies of the notification have been sent to the appropriate federal and provincial authorities, such as the Inspector General of Police, KP, the Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Secretaries to the President and Prime Minister.