• Disgruntled leaders say will contest Senate polls in line with Imran’s vision, allege ‘pro-establishment’ candidates being favoured
• Insiders claim oath-taking slated for today may get delayed due to ‘quorum’
• PPP leader says opposition alliance intact, will secure five seats
PESHAWAR: As the disgruntled PTI workers are adamant on contesting Senate polls despite an understanding between the KP’s ruling party and the opposition, the agreement on seat adjustment, however, seems to remain intact, with both sides now working on the panel of voters for their candidates.
The oath-taking of the 25 MPAs-elect, which is scheduled for today (Sunday), has also assumed importance, as non-administration of oaths to them could lead to postponement of Senate polls.
One of the ruling party MPAs told Dawn that there was a likelihood that oath-taking would not take place on Sunday, as the session might be adjourned at the outset due to “lack of quorum”.
The treasury and the joint opposition alliance had agreed on a seat-sharing formula under which six seats will go to the treasury, which has 92 members in the KP Assembly, and five seats to the opposition, which is 53-strong.
“The denial of Senate tickets to diehard workers has strengthened the doubts of the establishment’s involvement in the award of tickets,” one of the PTI insiders told Dawn. It was a good opportunity for the Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to stand with the ideological workers and dispel the impression that he was not the “establishment guy”. “We will not take part in the establishment game; rather, we will fully participate in the Senate elections,” PTI’s Peshawar district president Irfan Saleem said in his video message issued on Saturday.
This understanding had not sat well with the party’s Peshawar chapter, which had decided to oppose this agreement and vowed to contest the polls despite the party’s policy. On Saturday, they also released video messages, announcing they would stick to their stance. They said they would contest the elections in line with PTI founder Imran Khan’s vision. On the other hand, the PTI leadership has put their heads together on how to handle the situation, as party insiders believe that among the disgruntled candidates, Irfan Saleem will definitely score.
Gandapur asked to dispel impression
Referring to his party seat adjustment with the opposition, Mr Saleem said, “The plan is basically made to elect the pro-establishment candidates in the Senate elections”. He said that they would not withdraw and will fully resist the plan, adding that they didn’t tolerate blame on the Imran Khan vision under which the masses of KP and the entire country voted for him. Basically, the seat adjustment with the opposition is aimed at electing those people who have made the lives of the PTI workers and their leadership miserable after the May 9 incident, he said, adding that they would not bow down before such forces.
Another disgruntled candidate Khurram Shehzad said that a Senate ticket or other designations meant nothing to him, but “not contesting the elections is against Imran Khan’s ideology”. “I have been receiving different kinds of threats to withdraw from the race, but I will not, no matter if I am unable to get a single vote,” he said.
Another candidate Aisha Bano, who also refused to withdraw, said in her video message that, like her colleagues, she was going to contest the Senate election. “The Senate’s seats are a sacred trust of Imran Khan with us, and we will not let go easily,” she said, adding someelements wanted to favour those who were involved in the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
Against Imran’s ideology
Meanwhile, the opposition parties held a meeting at KP Governor House, attended by Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, leader of the opposition in KP Assembly Dr Ibadullah and senior leaders of the opposition parties.
The participants discussed the issue of oath-taking from the 25 MPAs-elect on reserved seats. PPP parliamentary leader Ahmad Karim Kundi told Dawn that the opposition alliance was intact and will secure five seats, including three general and one each for technocrat and women.
Separately, the Election Commission of Pakistan appointed eight polling officers to oversee the Senate elections set to take place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday. According to the ECP, Senate elections for eleven seats from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly will be held on July 21.
Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2025
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