PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has approached the Peshawar High Court (PHC) to facilitate the holding of Senate elections for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the notified date of 21 July.
In a letter addressed to the PHC registrar, the commission reminded the court that conducting Senate polls and the subsequent oath‑taking of newly elected members are constitutional obligations. Citing Article 255(2) of the Constitution, the ECP requested the chief justice to nominate any suitable person to administer the oath to the elected members of the KP Assembly before polling day.
The commission had already published the final list of candidates on 7 July for the province’s seven general, two women and two technocrat seats in the Senate. It clarified that the list prepared on 27 March 2024 would remain valid and no fresh nomination papers would be entertained.
The schedule issued on 4 July mandates that legislators vote in the provincial assembly hall on 21 July to fill the 11 KP seats falling vacant next month.
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Meanwhile, political activity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has intensified ahead of the Senate elections. The provincial government has decided to convene a session of the assembly on Sunday, July 20.
According to private TV channels, members on reserved seats will take their oaths during this session. After the oath‑taking, the Senate elections will be held the next day, Monday, July 21.
Following its decisions on reserved seats, the ECP has also issued a new party position in the provincial assembly.
According to the official notification, one reserved women’s seat each for Jamiat Ulema‑e‑Islam (JUI‑F) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has been withdrawn. One reserved women’s seat has been given to the Pakistan Muslim League‑Nawaz (PML‑N), bringing both JUI‑F and PML‑N to nine reserved seats each.
The PPP now holds five reserved seats, while the Awami National Party (ANP) and PTI Parliamentarians each have one reserved seat.
The notification further states that all members of the Sunni Ittehad Council and Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaf (PTI) have been declared as independents.
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