The Punjab Assembly member of the PML-N’s disqualification petition is rejected by the ECP.
The petition to disqualify Sonia Asher, a member of the Punjab Assembly for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was denied by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
A three-member panel led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja rendered the decision.
The ECP made it clear in its decision that minority women can run for and win seats designated for them. Saadia Muzaffar and Fiza Maimoona filed the petition against Sonia Asher, contesting her eligibility as a non-Muslim candidate for a women’s reserved seat.
The commission stressed that non-Muslim women are not prohibited by the constitution or the law from running for general or reserved seats. “Minority women cannot be barred from contesting elections on general or reserved seats,” the ruling stated.
The ECP also pointed out that Article 25 of the Constitution, which protects the equality of all citizens, would be broken if minority candidates were limited to non-Muslim reserved seats.
The decision is regarded as a landmark decision that upholds minority candidates’ unrestricted and full participation in the democratic process.
