The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Sunday appointed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to administer the oath to members elected on reserved seats, acting on a petition filed by opposition parties.

The oath-taking ceremony will be held today at 6pm.

Opposition groups, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), had submitted the request through the PHC registrar, seeking the nomination of an individual to administer the oath to members who have yet to be sworn in on reserved seats in the KP Assembly.

According to the PPP’s Additional Secretary General for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the petition stated that members elected on reserved seats had not taken their oaths, and urged the PHC chief justice to appoint someone for the task.

The KP Assembly session, which began today after a delay of two and a half hours, was adjourned until July 24 shortly after commencement when PTI member Sher Ali Afridi pointed out the lack of quorum. The session was chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati.

Notably, the session took place without the swearing-in of reserved seat members, leaving the KP Senate polls, scheduled for July 21 (Monday), in limbo.

Law Minister Aftab Alam revealed that the PTI parliamentary party had decided to boycott the session, citing internal dissatisfaction among members. “Our lawmakers are unhappy and have chosen not to attend today’s session,” he stated.

The assembly meeting was initially scheduled for 9am, and failure to meet quorum now puts the scheduled oath-taking of 25 members on reserved seats in jeopardy. These include 21 women and 4 minority representatives.

Among those expected to take oath were 7 women each from JUI-F and PML-N, 4 from PPP, 2 from ANP, and one from PTI-P. Minority members Askar Parvez and Gurpal Singh (JUI-F), Suresh Kumar (PML-N), and Bihari Lala (PPP) were also on the list.

Guest attendance at the assembly session had already been restricted in anticipation of the event.

Speaking to media before the start of session, KP Assembly Opposition Leader Dr Ibadullah stated that if quorum is pointed out, the opposition has options. “The oath-taking will happen — if not today, then soon — unless PTI disrupts the process,” he said.

He added that a formula has already been agreed upon between the opposition and government for the upcoming Senate elections. “If the oath is not administered today or tomorrow, we will approach the court,” he warned.

Dr Ibadullah further stated that the opposition has held talks with the government regarding the Senate polls, and internal PTI issues with disgruntled members are not their concern. “We remain firm on our stance regarding the Senate elections,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Senate election in KP has become a major challenge for PTI, as several dissident candidates—Irfan Saleem, Waqas Orakzai, Khurram Zeeshan, Irshad Hussain, and Ayesha Bano—have refused to withdraw their nominations. Internal rifts have surfaced within the PTI parliamentary party, with Mardan MPA Tariq Mahmood and former provincial minister Shakeel Khan publicly backing Irfan Saleem.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali ruled out any further negotiations with the dissidents, calling it shocking that some PTI MPAs are supporting them. “The party’s decision is final, and there’s no confusion left. The Senate election will be held on July 21 without fail,” he asserted. 

PTI has decided to take strict disciplinary action against dissenting party members over the upcoming Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to sources, the party has made it clear that any member defying party decisions will face immediate consequences, including expulsion from PTI.

Speaking to Dunya News, Barrister Gohar Ali confirmed the decision and revealed that the dissenting members were called for a meeting yesterday (Friday) but failed to show up. “The Chief Minister and I waited for them, but they did not come,” he said.

He added that the matter was referred to the party’s political committee, which, after thorough consultation, directed the dissenting candidates to withdraw their nominations.

The government and opposition have decided to contest the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Senate elections jointly.

In a rare show of unity, the KP government and opposition parties — including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — have joined hands to block Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) dissident candidates in the Senate elections.

According to sources, both the ruling coalition and opposition parties in the KP Assembly have devised a joint strategy to ensure the victory of their 11 nominated candidates.

Special voting groups would be formed to oversee the election process, with provincial ministers supervising four groups of treasury MPAs.

Sources revealed that government MPAs would be gathered at the Chief Minister’s House and escorted to the assembly in groups under supervision.

Similarly, opposition parties will oversee their three groups through parliamentary leaders.

In case of not following the party guidelines, a joint investigation would be launched by the government and opposition.

Meanwhile, the opposition expressed confidence in the government’s commitment and measures, stating they are hopeful that all 11 candidates would be elected without any hurdle.