Voting to elect 11 members to the Senate from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa began on Monday at the provincial assembly amid heightened political temperature and party negotiations over seat distribution.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), polling began at 11am and will continue until 4pm. The Jirga Hall of the KP Assembly has been designated as the official polling station, where two booths have been set up to facilitate the voting process.
As per the ECP’s final list, 16 candidates are contesting for 7 general seats, 5 candidates for 2 technocrat seats, and 4 candidates for 2 women’s seats. However, several withdrawals have reshaped the contest, particularly among the ranks of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
PTI, the ruling party in KP, has fielded prominent candidates including Murad Saeed, Mirza Afridi, Faisal Javed, and Allama Noorul Haq Qadri. Their rivals include Attaul Haq from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Talha Mehmood representing the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has nominated Niaz Muhammad, son of party stalwart Amir Muqam. Other contenders include Asif Rafique, Azhar Qazi Mashwani, Dilawar Khan, and Shafqat Ayaz, while independents Faizur Rehman and Muhammad Azam Swati are also in the running.
Dissent within PTI continues
Despite efforts by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to manage internal divisions, not all disgruntled PTI candidates have stepped down.
While Irfan Saleem, Waqas Orakzai, and Ayesha Bano have announced their withdrawal — reportedly after reaching an understanding with the Chief Minister — Khurram Zeeshan has not withdrawn and remains in the race.
Contests for women and technocrat seats
Three candidates are contesting for the two women’s seats: PPP’s Rubina Khalid, PTI’s Rubina Naz, and independent candidate Mehwish Ali. The list still includes PTI’s Ayesha Bano despite her withdrawal.
For the technocrat seats, five names are on the ballot: PTI’s Azam Swati and JUI-F’s Dilawar Khan are the primary contenders. Disgruntled PTI figures Syed Irshad Hussain, Khalid Masood, and Waqar Ahmed Qazi are also listed, though at least one of them is believed to have stepped down.
Ballot complications and official clarification
The ECP has clarified that names of candidates who withdrew after the official deadline of 12pm on Sunday will still appear on the ballot paper with the word “retired” stamped next to them to avoid confusion during voting.
Media barred from coverage
The Election Commission has enforced a complete ban on media coverage of the polling process. Vehicles have been restricted at the assembly gate, and journalists have been denied access to the premises. The KP Assembly Secretariat confirmed the ECP directive, following which media crews staged a sit-in outside the assembly building.
