In a significant political development, 25 lawmakers elected on reserved seats for women and minorities in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly took their oaths at a ceremony held at the Governor House Peshawar on Sunday.
The swearing-in was administered by Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, following a directive from the Peshawar High Court (PHC) that authorised him to conduct the ceremony after repeated disruptions in the provincial assembly stalled the constitutional process.
The governor administered the oath under Articles 65 and 255(2) of the Constitution and Rule 6 of the KP Assembly’s Procedure and Conduct of Business Rules, 1988. The ceremony marked the end of a prolonged standoff that could further delay the upcoming Senate elections.
Seven women members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), seven women members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), four members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) took oath against reserved seats for women in the KP Assembly, Radio Pakistan reported.
Khadija Sardar and Shahida Waheed of Awami National party (ANP) and Nadia Sher also took oath against seats reserved for women.
PHC bars elected MPAs on reserved seats from taking oath
In his address, Governor Kundi congratulated the newly sworn-in members and thanked the PHC chief justice for issuing the notification authorising him to carry out the oath-taking process. He called the court’s intervention vital for protecting constitutional rights and democratic functioning.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by prominent figures including Federal Minister for SAFFRON, Engineer Amir Muqam, and Leader of the Opposition in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Dr. Ibadullah, along with other members of opposition parties.
Court steps in after PTI hinders swearing-in
The oath-taking took place after the PHC designated Governor Kundi to oversee the process, stepping in after a petition was filed by opposition parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), following multiple failed attempts to convene a valid KP Assembly session.
Earlier on Sunday (today), the assembly session, scheduled for 9:00 a.m., began nearly two and a half hours late, was adjourned due to a lack of quorum, triggered by PTI MPA Sher Ali Afridi. KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati announced that the quorum was not complete and adjourned the house until July 24, upon which the opposition protested and chanted slogans.
Opposition parties accused PTI of deliberately manipulating the quorum to block the oath-taking and prevent their participation in the upcoming Senate polls, a move widely criticised as anti-democratic.