• KP speaker adjourns session over quorum, without swearing in new members
• Governor finally administers oath to 25 lawmakers after ECP asks PHC to intervene
• Gandapur warns defiant colleagues of ‘action’, defends seat adjustment with opposition
• Kundi says KP govt ‘reneged’ on its seat-sharing agreement with opposition
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi had to administer the oath to 25 lawmakers nominated for the reserved seats on Sunday, after PTI lawmakers pointed out a lack of quorum to the speaker who adjourned the assembly session, specially convened for this purpose.
The administration of the oath to complete the house was a prerequisite for the Senate elections on 11 seats, which are to be held today (Monday), against the backdrop of a seat-sharing arrangement between the PTI and opposition parties.
This plan, which entails six seats for the ruling party and five for opposition parties, has riled up several PTI leaders, who have vowed to contest elections against the party’s policy.
After the assembly session could not proceed, the Election Commission of Pakistan requested the Peshawar High Court chief justice to nominate a person under Article 255(2) of the Constitution for the administration of oaths.
In its letter to the high court, the ECP said it feared a delay in the Senate polls due to the adjournment on the basis of quorum.
The correspondence expressed the apprehension that the move was being repeated to delay the oath-taking and the conduct of KP Senate elections.
Senate elections in KP were previously postponed on April 2, 2024, due to the speaker’s refusal to administer the oath to newly elected members on reserved seats.
Subsequently, the governor was asked to swear in the MPAs-elect on reserved seats.
The court also directed the assembly secretary to facilitate the newly-notified members to sign the roll of members in terms of Rule 6 of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Procedure and Conduct of Business Rules, 1988 along with all other enabling provisions of the Constitution.
Meanwhile, the ECP has changed the timing for the Senate elections from 9am to 11am. The exercise will see elections on 11 seats — seven general and two each reserved for women, ulema and technocrats.
‘Reneged on deal’
Following the ceremony, Governor Kundi told mediapersons that the government had reneged on an agreement it had made with the opposition.
“A formula of 6-5 was agreed upon and our opposition candidates withdrew,” the governor said.
“All of them agreed that they will contest five seats — two will be contested by the JUI-F, two by the PPP, and the PML-N will [vie] for one,” he said, adding that they had a deal in place, but the PTI members “were not completely on board”.
Meanwhile, Dawn.com quoted KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur saying that the ruling party would take action against its “disgruntled” members who were taking part in the Senate election against the party’s wishes.
Speaking to reporters in Peshawar, CM Gandapur said, “Rejecting PTI founder Imran Khan’s decision is a defiance of his position as party founder.” In response to criticism on the seat-adjustment formula, the CM said the alliance with the opposition was only for the Senate elections.
The KP CM blamed his disgruntled party colleagues’ actions for lowering the PTI’s share of seats, claiming that an agreement was reached with the opposition on the formula of PTI receiving eight seats and the opposition getting three.
“We suffered losses due to our candidates not withdrawing their papers,” he claimed, saying, “Now, we will get six seats and the opposition will get five seats.”
Lack of quorum
Earlier in the day, the assembly session that was scheduled for 9am, actually began over two hours behind schedule, with KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati presiding.
At the outset, MPA Sher Ali Afridi from the treasury benches pointed out a lack of quorum, leading to a heated exchange of words between him and opposition lawmakers.
Commenting on Mr Afridi’s move, PML-N’s Sobia Shahid contended that a lack of quorum could not be pointed out between the recitation of the Holy Quran and the oath-taking.
“You [KP government] have been making a joke out of this province for a year,” she said. However, the speaker asked her to point out the legal provisions for her argument, instead of giving a speech.
He then ordered a headcount, and when it was found that only 25 members were in attendance, the session was adjourned to July 24.
The opposition members protested inside the assembly hall and chanted slogans against Mr Swati when he declared the quorum “incomplete” and ordered the staff to ring the bells.
‘Black day’
Ahead of Sunday’s assembly session, a meeting of the PTI’s parliamentary party decided that none of its MPAs would attend proceedings.
Meanwhile, KP CM’s aide Barrister Saif criticised the administration of oaths, terming it a “black day for parliamentary politics” and the “murder of democracy”.
“The oaths of opposition MPAs on reserved seats are an insult to the public’s opinion… The opposition is dissatisfied despite winning, while the PTI is satisfied even after losing as it has the public’s support,” he claimed.
Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2025