slamabad: In a significant boost for the ruling party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has clinched six out of 11 available Senate seats, according to unofficial results from the provincial assembly elections.
The polling took place in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, where all 145 members participated to fill the seats. PTI secured four general seats with victories for Murad Saeed (26 votes), Faisal Javed (22 votes), Mirza Afridi (21 votes), and Noorul Haq Qadri (21 votes). The party also won one women’s reserved seat through Rubina Naz (89 votes) and one technocrat seat with Azam Swati.
Opposition parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), captured the remaining five seats. On general seats, PML-N’s Niaz Ahmad, PPP’s Talha Mehmood, and JUI-F’s Atta-ul-Haq emerged victorious. PPP’s Rubina Khalid took the second women’s seat, while JUI-F’s Dilawar Khan won the other technocrat position.
Prior to the vote, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur managed to resolve internal party tensions by persuading four dissident PTI members to withdraw their candidacies, averting potential intra-party clashes. However, one dissident, Khurram Zeeshan, proceeded with the contest but received no votes.
The elections followed the recent swearing-in of reserved seat members in the provincial assembly, which had delayed the process. Separately, fresh internal concerns have arisen within PTI regarding the Senate candidate selection for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Sources indicate that senior leaders may have withheld the original list from the party’s founder, Imran Khan. The initial list from the provincial chapter on July 15 reportedly included names like Murad Saeed, Irfan Saleem, Faisal Javed, and Khurram Zeeshan, but alterations were allegedly made without full consultation. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has denied these claims, stating no changes or concealments occurred.
In related developments from Punjab, the PML-N candidate Hafiz Abdul Karim won the Senate by-election with 243 votes, defeating opposition contender Mehr Abdul Sattar who garnered 99 votes. The seat became vacant after the passing of Professor Sajid Mir. Out of 368 assembly members, 345 voted, with three ballots rejected. Polling ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., overseen by the Provincial Election Commissioner.
