PESHAWAR: The provincial government and opposition parties — including the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — have joined forces to block dissident Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates in the upcoming Senate elections scheduled for July 21 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Sources said the government and opposition in the KP Assembly have agreed to form special panels to ensure the victory of their 11 agreed-upon candidates. Four panels from the government side will be supervised by provincial ministers.
According to sources, government lawmakers will be gathered at the Chief Minister’s House and sent to the assembly in groups under ministerial supervision.
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Likewise, the opposition’s three panels will be overseen by their respective parliamentary leaders. Members in all seven panels will be directed to vote separately for general, women, and technocrat seats.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Opposition Leader Dr Ibadullah will jointly oversee the entire process. The required votes for opposition candidates will be provided from the government benches.
It was also agreed that strict accountability measures would be taken if any votes are cast in favour of dissident candidates. In such cases, both the government and opposition will conduct a joint investigation.
Sources said senior PTI leaders will be present at the assembly to monitor the process, while key opposition figures are also expected to attend.
The opposition’s nominees include Talha Mehmood, Attaul Haq, Rubina Khalid, Dilawar Khan, and Niaz Ahmad. PTI’s candidates are Murad Saeed, Faisal Javed, Mirza Afridi, Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Azam Swati, and Rubina Naz.
Opposition sources expressed satisfaction with the government’s commitment and expressed hope that all 11 candidates would be elected without complications.
Meanwhile, JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah said a consensus formula had already been finalised.
Speaking on HUM News’ “Pakistan Tonight” programme, he said, “Both sides have agreed to a joint formula under which five opposition and six PTI candidates would be elected unopposed. We devised this formula to prevent horse-trading.”
“JUI-F stands firmly by this agreement,” he added. “If it is not implemented, it will be PTI that suffers the consequences.”
He stressed that the opposition parties will vote strictly in accordance with the agreed formula. Any complaints during the process will be immediately conveyed to the chief minister and opposition leader for timely action.
Separately, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also spoke on the programme, saying the opposition had been urged to follow the example set by former president Asif Ali Zardari.
“We ended horse-trading during the PPP’s tenure. Based on our numbers, we are entitled to five Senate seats,” he said.
“If a contest takes place, we’ll also reach out to 30 to 35 MPAs. Our preference is for the Senate elections to be held unopposed. But if elections go ahead, we will increase our numbers.”
He added that oath-taking on reserved seats may take place tomorrow or another day. “At present, 30 to 35 MPAs are independent. If we contest, we may win six or seven seats.”
He also noted that PPP had, in the past, awarded Senate tickets to loyal party workers.
Meanwhile, disgruntled PTI leaders have vowed to contest the Senate elections and rejected calls to withdraw.
This resolve was expressed during a meeting attended by Khurram Zeeshan, Irfan Saleem, and Ayesha Bano.
Khurram said the issue goes beyond the Senate elections. “I will not withdraw, bow down, or compromise,” he said, criticising the PTI KP leadership for aligning with the opposition. “Is this what our leader envisioned?” he asked.
Saleem echoed Khurram’s sentiments, saying, “We stand by our principles and will continue to do so. We will contest and will not become part of this flawed system.”