ISLAMABAD, APR 11 (DNA) – Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has given a blow to the PML N President Shahbaz Sharif.

ECP on Tuesday has disposed of Chief Minister of Punjab (CM) Shehbaz Sharif’s plea seeking permission to include independent Senators in Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The commission has forwarded the issue to Senate secretariat, stating that the issue doesn’t come under the jurisdiction of ECP .

Earlier, *ECP had rejected pleas filed by 15 independent senators aimed at joining ranks of PML-N in the upper house of the parliament.

Following ECP’s verdict, Senate secretariat had also decided to not allow merger of independent senators with PMLN.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) became largest party in the Senate with 20 members. PMLN has slipped to second spot with 17 members while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is at number third spot with 12 senators.