Peshawar, July 20, 2025: A day before the Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Sunday administered the oath to 25 opposition MPAs elected on reserved seats, in line with a directive from the Peshawar High Court (PHC).
The move followed a petition filed earlier in the day by the opposition lawmakers, requesting the PHC chief justice to appoint an authority to oversee the oath-taking after the KP Assembly session was abruptly adjourned due to a lack of quorum.
Of the newly sworn-in lawmakers, 21 are women and four are minorities. The ceremony was held at the Governor House in Peshawar at 6 PM, as announced by Governor Kundi on social media platform X.
Earlier, the KP Assembly session, convened on Sunday, was adjourned shortly after commencement when PTI MPA Sher Ali Afridi pointed out the lack of quorum. Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, who began proceedings over two hours late, called for a headcount and rang the bells for a five-minute recess before officially adjourning the session until July 24.
The boycott came following a decision by the PTI’s parliamentary party in KP to skip the session. Opposition lawmakers, however, criticized the timing of the objection—raised during the Quranic recitation—and expressed outrage over repeated delays in administering their oaths.
“This is not the right way. We have been denied our right to take the oath for two years,” a PML-N MPA said. Leader of the Opposition Dr Ibadullah Khan warned of legal action, stating, “If we don’t take oath now, we will demand it later this evening. We cannot allow what little political space we have left to disappear.”
Governor’s move sparks constitutional debate
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur slammed the oath-taking at the Governor House as unconstitutional, arguing that Article 65 of the Constitution mandates that oaths must be taken on the floor of the assembly.
“The speaker did not refuse to administer the oath,” Gandapur asserted. “The session was adjourned due to a lack of quorum, and the next sitting is scheduled for July 24.”
The chief minister added that the oath-taking ceremony would be challenged in court. “Our petition is ready and will be filed in the Peshawar High Court tomorrow (Monday),” he confirmed.
ECP proceeds with Senate polls
Following the PHC order, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that Senate elections in KP would proceed as scheduled at 11 AM Monday in the Jirga Hall.
The ECP spokesperson emphasized that the newly sworn-in MPAs on reserved seats complete the electoral college required for the Senate vote. The commission had earlier written to the PHC chief justice, requesting the nomination of an appropriate official to administer the oath, citing delays in the assembly.
To ensure smooth proceedings, the ECP directed the Inspector General of Police KP, the chief secretary, and the Inspector General Frontier Constabulary to implement stringent security measures.
The Senate election process has been further complicated by internal strife within PTI over ticket allocations. Despite earlier agreements between the government and opposition to split KP’s 11 Senate seats under a 6-5 formula, dissent erupted within PTI’s ranks.
Five covering candidates refused to withdraw their nomination papers, defying instructions from Chief Minister Gandapur and the party’s political committee. The dissenters are demanding that seats allocated to JUI-F and PPP be reclaimed before they step down.
Among the PTI dissidents include Irfan Saleem, PTI Peshawar District President, Khurram Zeeshan, former civil judge and party’s Deputy Information Secretary, Waqas Orakzai, candidate for a general seat, Syed Irshad Hussain, ex-AIGP, technocrat seat candidate and Ayesha Bano, former MPA and KP VP, women’s reserved seat.
A second round of talks between Gandapur and the dissidents also failed to produce consensus. Meanwhile, former PTI Peshawar City President Rehman Jalal held a press conference warning of street protests if the ticket list isn’t revised.
Supporters have launched a vigorous social media campaign for Zeeshan, Saleem, and Bano, demanding that Irfan Saleem be nominated as the main candidate for the Upper House.
Future of unopposed polls in jeopardy
The standoff has cast serious doubt on the possibility of holding unopposed Senate elections in KP, despite the 6-5 formula agreed upon earlier. The growing internal rebellion within PTI threatens to derail what was expected to be a carefully managed electoral process.
