Pak Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor swears in 25 opposition MPAs

     Peshawar, Jul 20 (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Sunday administered oath to 25 opposition MPAs for reserved seats, in compliance with an order of the Peshawar High Court (PHC).
     The development comes hours after the opposition MPAs filed a petition in the PHC, urging the chief justice to nominate an authority to oversee the oath-taking process after the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly speaker adjourned the session due to a lack of quorum Sunday morning.
     Twenty-one women and four minority members took their oath as members of the Assembly on reserved seats.
     Earlier, Governor Kundi took to X and said that in line with the court's order, he will administer the oath to the MPAs at 6 pm at his official residence in Peshawar. 
     Provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur challenged the oath-taking, terming the move "unconstitutional", stating that oaths must be administered only on the floor of the assembly.
     The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session was adjourned shortly after it commenced as lawmakers of former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party skipped the crucial sitting.
     Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, who started the proceedings with a delay of over two hours, adjourned the session when PTI MPA Sher Ali Afridi pointed out the lack of quorum.
     The chair then ordered headcount and rang the bells for a five-minute break before finally adjourning the session until July 24.
     Leader of the Opposition in the provincial assembly Dr Ibadullah Khan expressed displeasure over the speaker's move, warning that the opposition would take legal action.
     “We’ll go to court and request the chief justice to intervene,” he said. “If the oath isn’t taken now, it should at least happen later this evening.”
     He added that the opposition was committed to preserving "what little political space remained and ensuring it is not further eroded".
     Following the PHC directives, a spokesperson for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said the Senate polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will take place at 11 am in the Jirga Hall on Monday.
     The swearing-in is a key procedural requirement to complete the electoral college for the Senate elections.
     Elected members on reserved seats for women and minorities in the provincial assembly had not taken their oath on Sunday, prompting the ECP to formally request the Chief Justice of the PHC to nominate a suitable individual for administering the oath, the spokesperson added.
     In anticipation of Monday’s proceedings, the ECP has directed the Inspector General of Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the chief secretary, and the Inspector General Frontier Constabulary to ensure foolproof security arrangements. 
     The commission emphasised that a secure and uninterrupted environment is essential for the smooth conduct of the electoral process.
     The recent development followed escalating tensions within PTI over the distribution of Senate tickets, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and the party’s political committee failed to appease disgruntled members.
     The first round of negotiations, held in Peshawar a day ago, ended without consensus after five covering candidates refused to withdraw from the race.
     They rejected the party leadership’s directive to step aside under a 6-5 formula that allocates six Senate seats to the PTI and five to the opposition parties.
     The dissidents demanded that one seat each from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) be reclaimed before they would consider withdrawing. 
     A second meeting took place later the same night between the chief minister and the same dissident candidates, but it also failed to yield an agreement. 
     A total of five candidates have refused to withdraw their papers from the polls slated for Monday.
     Insiders confirmed that the chief minister had instructed the group to withdraw unconditionally, but they remained defiant.
     The standoff escalated when former PTI Peshawar City President Rehman Jalal addressed a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, warning the leadership to revise the ticket list or face street protests.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)