RO suspended after 'unknown woman' made MNA on JUI-F seat

ISLAMABAD: Following a controversy over the allocation of a reserved seat to an “unknown woman,” the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday suspended a returning officer (RO).

The saga began after Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) claimed that the “unknown” woman was awarded a reserved National Assembly seat on its ticket.

A day earlier, JUI-F Emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman submitted an application seeking the suspension of the notification of the “unknown woman” and demanded an investigation into the matter.

“Sadaf Sultan is neither our party (JUI-F) member nor named in our list. Notification for Sadaf Ehsan should be suspended and Ms Hina Bibi should be notified [on the reserved seat],” the JUI-F chief stated in the plea.

The electoral authority issued the notification, bearing number F6 of 2024, for the success of the unknown woman on the NA reserved seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In a statement on Tuesday, the electoral body said it has ordered an inquiry into the matter and will hold an open hearing on March 26 to resolve the issue.

The ECP said Sadaf Yasmin was mentioned in a list submitted by the JUI-F for the allocation of reserved women's seat.

However, the woman who submitted nomination papers identified herself as Sadaf Ehsan, hailing from Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The JUI-F has stated in the application that its candidate's name is Sadaf Yasmin who has not submitted nomination papers to the ECP, the electoral body said.

It further said that notices have also been issued to all parties to resolve this controversy.

The ECP last week allocated all reserved seats in the NA and all four provincial assemblies.