Rana Sanaullah Wins Punjab Senate Seat, Slams PTI Boycott as ‘Escape’

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Rana Sanaullah has secured a Senate seat from Punjab, winning 250 votes in a by-election held in the Punjab Assembly. The seat had fallen vacant following the disqualification of PTI Senator Ijaz Chaudhry and was contested by Chaudhry’s wife, Salma Ijaz, and Mr Sanaullah. Out of 363 assembly members, 251 cast their ballots, with one vote declared invalid. Given the PML-N’s majority of 263 members against the opposition’s 100, Sanaullah’s victory was widely anticipated. His win now brings the PML-N’s Senate strength equal to PTI’s at 21 seats each. The updated Senate composition stands as follows: PPP 26, PML-N 21, PTI 21, JUI-F 7, BAP 4, ANP 3, MQM-P 3, while PML-Q, NP, MWM, and the Sunni Ittehad Council hold one seat each. Six seats remain with independents, and one is yet to be filled. Opposition parties, led by the Sunni Ittehad Council, boycotted the polls, branding the process one-sided. In his victory speech, Sanaullah dismissed the move as an “escape” from democracy, accusing PTI of lacking confidence in its own lawmakers. Celebrations followed outside the Punjab Assembly as PML-N workers and lawmakers showered Sanaullah with rose petals after the announcement of results.