The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has urged the Senate secretariat to immediately take “necessary action” after seven seats of the Upper House were left vacant following their occupants’ election to the national and provincial assemblies.

In a letter to the Senate secretariat, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the ECP noted that seven senators had been elected as MNAs or MPAs — Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti, Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Jam Mahtab Hussain Dahar and Prince Ahmed Umer Ahmedzai.

The electoral watchdog cited clause-4 of Article 223 of the Constitution, “which provides that ‘if a member of either House or of a Provincial Assembly becomes a candidate for a second seat which, in accordance with clause (1), he may not hold concurrently with his first seat, then his first seat shall become vacant as soon as he is elected to the second seat’”.

“In light of the above, necessary action may be proceed [sic] further in the matter,” the letter added.