The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decided a rare and revealing electoral dispute on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, restoring the membership of Sadaf Ihsan as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) elected on a women-reserved seat from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (JUI-P), despite the party’s continued disavowal of her affiliation.

The controversy, however, may not be over yet, as JUI-P or other aggrieved parties may still challenge the decision before the relevant forum in the days to come. FAFEN has broken down a factual summary of this unusual case based on the ECP’s latest order and previous notifications.

Who are the key parties in this case?

The dispute involved four principal parties:

  • Sadaf Ihsan, the sitting MNA whose membership was restored by the ECP;
  • JUI-P, the political party that claims it did not list Sadaf Ihsan as its priority for MNA seat;
  • Sadaf Yasmin, the party’s recommended candidate who did not file nomination papers; and
  • Hina Bibi, another JUI-P nominee who claimed she was entitled to the reserved seat instead of Sadaf Ihsan.

How did the dispute begin?

Under Article 51(6)(e) of the Constitution of Pakistan and Section 104 of the Elections Act, 2017, seats reserved for women and non-Muslims in the National Assembly are filled through proportional representation on the basis of political party lists. Parties submit ranked lists of candidates, while individuals must also file nomination papers and undergo scrutiny by the Returning Officer.

According to an ECP notification dated March 4, 2024, JUI-P was allocated three women-reserved seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On the basis of the party’s priority list, the ECP notified the following returned candidates:

  • Shahida Begum (Priority No. 1)
  • Naeema Kishwar Khan (Priority No. 2)
  • Sadaf Ihsan (Priority No. 3)

The dispute arose shortly after the ECP notified Sadaf Ihsan as returned candidate on March 4, 2024. Hina Bibi (Priority No. 4 in JUIP’s list) filed an application before the ECP on March 6, 2024, followed by JUI-P on March 10, 2024, contending that Sadaf Ihsan was not the party’s nominee.

JUI-P claimed that its recommended candidate was Sadaf Yasmin, and that Sadaf Ihsan had misrepresented herself in her place. Hina Bibi argued that since Sadaf Yasmin had not filed nomination papers, and she herself had done so, she should be declared the returned candidate instead. Upon receiving these applications, the ECP suspended Sadaf Ihsan’s notification.

What happened after the initial suspension?

Sadaf Ihsan challenged the suspension before the Peshawar High Court (PHC), which restored her membership on March 11, 2024, and directed the parties to seek final adjudication from the Election Tribunal.

Subsequently, JUI-P and Hina Bibi approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan. On April 22, 2024, the Supreme Court suspended the PHC’s order, resulting in the ECP once again suspending Sadaf Ihsan’s membership.

Following the enforcement of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) assumed jurisdiction over pending constitutional matters. On December 24, 2025, the FCC remanded the case to the ECP with directions to decide it within 30 days. This led to the current proceedings and order by the ECP.

Meanwhile, the ECP also conducted an inquiry earlier against its Returning Officer (RO) for Reserved Seats for Women in the National Assembly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. During this inquiry, the statement of JUIP Ameer Moulana Fazl-u-Rehman was also recorded along with other officeholders of the party.

What were the claims of the parties before the Commission?

JUI-P maintained that its priority list contained the name of Sadaf Yasmin, not Sadaf Ihsan. The party’s counsel asserted that Sadaf Ihsan was not a member of JUI-P and described her as an “alien” to the party. The party requested that Hina Bibi be declared successful instead.

Hina Bibi adopted JUI-P’s arguments. Her own inclusion in the priority list had followed a separate legal dispute. She had initially filed nomination papers for the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and later claimed that she had mistakenly intended to contest for the National Assembly. Her request for correction was rejected by the Returning Officer, the Peshawar High Court, and the Appellate Tribunal. Relief was granted only by the Supreme Court, which directed on February 7, 2024, that her name be included at the bottom of JUI-P’s priority list for the National Assembly.

Sadaf Yasmin, although named by the party as its intended candidate, did not file nomination papers. Her counsel told the ECP that she had refrained from filing nominations because Sadaf Ihsan had allegedly submitted papers in her place.

Sadaf Ihsan denied the allegations, asserting that she and her family were long-standing members of JUI-P. She contended that the reference to “Sadaf Yasmin” in the party list was, in fact, to her, as her mother’s name was Yasmin. Her counsel produced documents to support her claim of party membership and argued that JUI-P did not object to her candidature until after she had been declared successful.