the election commission of pakistan (ecp) has dismissed a petition seeking the disqualification of pakistan muslim league-nawaz (pml-n) member sonia asher from the punjab assembly.
the verdict was delivered by a three-member bench led by chief election commissioner sikandar sultan raja.
in its ruling, the ecp stated that minority women are fully eligible to contest and be elected on women’s reserved seats. the petition had been filed by saadia muzaffar and fiza maimoona, who challenged asher’s eligibility on the basis that she is a non-muslim candidate occupying a women’s reserved seat.
the commission clarified that there is no constitutional or legal restriction barring non-muslim women from running for either general or reserved seats. “minority women cannot be barred from contesting elections on general or reserved seats,” the ruling emphasized.
it further added that limiting minority candidates to only non-muslim reserved seats would violate article 25 of the constitution, which guarantees equal rights for all citizens.
this ruling is being seen as a significant precedent, reinforcing the right of minority candidates—especially women—to participate in the democratic process without facing discriminatory barriers.
