The results of Senate elections on 11 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been finalised, with six candidates backed by the government and five supported by the opposition declared successful.
The outcome reflects the effectiveness of the agreed formula between the two blocs.
According to initial unofficial results, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) secured two seats: Rubina Khalid was elected on the women’s seat, while Talha Mehmood won a general seat.
INDEPENDENT VICTORIES
Independent candidates dominated the results across multiple categories. Rubina Naz secured the women’s seat as an independent, while Murad Saeed, Faisal Javed, Noorul Haq Qadri, and Mirza Afridi won on general seats.
Azam Swati also succeeded on the technocrat seat as an independent candidate.
PARTY-BASED RESULTS
From Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), Atta ul Haq Dervish claimed a general seat and Dilawar Khan secured a technocrat seat. The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) also found success, with Niaz Ahmed winning a general seat.
In line with the pre-arranged formula between the two sides, six Senate members were elected with government support and five through the opposition’s backing.
KP SENATE ELECTIONS
A total of 145 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly cast their votes during the day-long polling process. The final vote was cast by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. Despite a slow pace, the polling remained peaceful throughout the day.
The Assembly’s Jirga Hall was designated as the election room, with strict security arrangements in place. The KP Assembly comprises 92 government members and 53 opposition members. For a candidate to win a general seat, a minimum of 19 votes was required.
Twelve independent candidates were also in the running across general, technocrat, and women’s categories
Four PTI dissenting candidates withdraw nominations
Earlier, Four of five dissenting candidate of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have announced withdrawal from the Senate election.
The candidates, who withdrew their nomination papers, include Waqas Orakzai, Irshad Hussain, Irfan Saleem, and Ayesha Bano. Their decision aligns with the directives of PTI founder.
In a video message, Irfan Saleem stated, “We accept every decision made by the PTI founder.” Ayesha Bano echoed the sentiment, saying she has always followed the party founder’s instructions.
Irshad Hussain emphasised putting the party’s decision above personal interest, while Waqas Orakzai remarked, “Seats are temporary, but ideology is permanent—and we stand with the ideology.”