Senate elections scheduled for tomorrow face uncertainty amid the unresolved swearing-in of members elected on reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
According to sources in the Election Commission, polls for 11 vacant Senate seats are set for tomorrow, but the completion of the provincial assembly is a constitutional requirement for the vote to proceed.
Officials from the Election Commission and polling staff are expected to arrive at the KP Assembly on the day of the election.
A final decision on whether to proceed will be made after assessing the situation on ground. Despite the uncertainty, the Election Commission maintains that, with the election schedule already announced, it is obligated to carry it out.
Earlier, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session convened for swearing-in of newly elected members on reserved seats. The session was delayed by two and half hours. It also disrupted the outset decorum shortfall.
The session was scheduled for 9am, and bells were rung accordingly, but the proceedings were delayed due to the absence of members in the House.
The government reportedly used a deliberate quorum strategy to avoid the oath-taking process.
The parliamentary party of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had already announced a boycott of the session.
The session was presided over by KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, with newly elected members on reserved seats and all opposition members present. Only a few PTI members attended.
As the session began, government members pointed out the lack of quorum, with MPA Sher Ali Afridi formally raising the issue, prompting members to exit the hall.
Opposition members attempted to persuade the speaker to proceed with the oath-taking, but only four PTI members were present in the House at that time.
Speaker Swati stated that only 25 members were present, which did not meet the required quorum.
A female MPA objected, saying quorum could not be challenged during the recitation of the Holy Quran. The speaker responded, “Let’s count the quorum first; no speeches, please.”
This led to sloganeering by the opposition, with members gathering in front of the speaker’s dais. The session was eventually adjourned until July 24 at 2:00pm.
Women and minority members elected on reserved seats were present in the assembly for the session.
Among them were PML-N’s Farah Khan, Amna Sardar, Faiza Malik, Shazia Jadoon, Afsha Hussain, Jameela Paracha, and Sonia Hussain. From JUI-F, Balqees, Sitara Afrin, and Aiman Jaleel Jan were in attendance, as well as Madiha Gul Afridi, Rabia Shaheen, Nilofer Begum, Naheed Noor, Shazia Tahmas, Sajida Tabassum, Mehr Sultana, Ashbar Jan Jadoon, Nadia Sher, Khadija Bibi, and Shahida Waheed.
Minority members included JUI-F’s Askar Parvez and Gurpal Singh, PML-N’s Suresh Kumar, and PPP’s Bihari Lal.
According to sources, tensions have escalated between PTI’s dissident group and KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
The disgruntled PTI members have announced they will not give up the field for the Senate elections under any circumstances.
The sources revealed that the KP government had devised a strategy to block today’s swearing-in of members on reserved seats.
In an exclusive conversation with Aaj News, key government insiders said that the goal was to prevent the oath-taking to reduce political pressure.
After failing to appease disgruntled Senate candidates, the party implemented a contingency plan “Plan B” which aimed to deliberately deny quorum in the assembly, thus forcing the postponement of the session.
If successful, this would prevent the newly elected members from taking their oaths.
