The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and the opposition have upped the ante, reaching a broad understanding ahead of the July 21 Senate election to make the most of the political situation, sources said Thursday.
The two sides in a meeting late on the night between Wednesday and Thursday decided to settle the matter through an unopposed vote, the sources said.
According to sources, the negotiations led to a near agreement on a 6-5 formula, under which Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would get six seats and the opposition five.
However, some internal issues within the PTI and the provincial government remain unresolved.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has reportedly been tasked with persuading other PTI candidates to withdraw from the Senate race to finalise the arrangement.
Both sides want to avoid a contested election, hoping to minimise political risks.
If no deal is reached and a vote takes place, the outcome could be uncertain, prompting a strong push to ensure all candidates are elected unopposed, sources said.
The opposition has already agreed on a joint strategy and is pushing for its candidates to be elected unopposed.
On the other hand, the PTI is beset with infighting, with several leaders protesting that they were denied the ticket they deserved.
A final round of talks between the two sides is expected today [Thursday], where participants will be asked to sign off on the decisions made in the overnight meeting.
After the meeting, the leaders of the ruling PTI and opposition parties will hold a press conference.
Sources say there is near consensus on holding unopposed elections, with only a few details left to finalise.
Oath-taking of returned MPAs must, says ECP
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) earlier this week informed the province’s governor and chief minister that the notified MPAs on the reserved seats cannot take part in the assembly session or vote in Senate polls, unless they have administered the oath.
ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan called on the governor and CM to summon an assembly session immediately for oath-taking of the returned candidates to ensure the completion of the electoral college.
He said the electoral body is under a constitutional obligation to conduct the Senate elections in KP, for which a date has been set for July 21.
But he noted that the matter of administering the oath to returned candidates was still pending and delayed.
Citing the SC constitutional bench’s verdict, he stated that on July 2, 2025, a notification of successful candidates on reserved seats for women and non-Muslims was issued, but these members have not yet been sworn in, so they cannot participate in the assembly session or vote.
The ECP secretary pointed out that earlier, the KP Assembly speaker was requested on July 4 to administer the oath to the members elected on reserved seats.
The speaker informed that the assembly session is not currently underway; he cannot call a session.
The ECP secretary maintained that according to Article 109 of the Constitution, the governor has the power to summon a session of the provincial assembly at his discretion.
