ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday dismissed a petition seeking the disqualification of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab Assembly member Sonia Asher.

The verdict was announced by a three-member bench of the ECP.

The ECP bench held that minority women are eligible to contest and be elected on women`s reserved seats. The petition against Sonia Asher was filed by Saadia Muzaffar and Fiza Maimoona both from the PML-N.

The two were among those who got reserved seats for women in Punjab Assembly after the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) reserved seats` quota was distributed among other parties, but had been suspended after a verdict by the Supreme Court.

They had challenged Sonia Asher`s eligibility on the grounds of being a non-Muslim candidate on a women`s reserved seat.

The ECP observed that there was no constitutional or legal restriction preventing non-Muslim women from contesting either general or reserved seats. `Minority women cannot be barred from contesting elections on general or reserved seats, the decision stated.

The ECP further noted that restricting minority candidates to only non-Muslim reserved seats would be a violation of the Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality of all citizens.

Meanwhile, the ECP will take up for hearing disqualification reference against leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan on Tuesday.

Speaker of National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had sent the reference based on a petition filed by Babar Nawaz of PML-N, who was defeated by Mr Ayub in 2024 elections from Haripur with a huge margin of 82000.

At the first hearing of the reference, Leader of Opposition had appeared before the five-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and requested for time to prepare and hire services of a counsel, citing his engagements with regard to the federal budget.

He had urged that either the next hearing be held in late June or July, as he is member of the finance committee of the House while the budget session was about to start at that time.

The ECP will on the same day hold the first hearing of a new case against Mr Ayub, which is about his statement of assets and liabilities submitted last year.