Governor to administer oath on reserved seats after KP Assembly ruckus

PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan announced that Governor Faisal Karim Kundi will administer the oath to reserved seat members at a ceremony scheduled for Monday, July 21, 2025, at Governor House, ARY News reported quoting ECP.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly session, which was scheduled for Sunday, was adjourned due to a lack of quorum, preventing the oath-taking members elected on reserved seats.

The Peshawar High Court Chief Justice, Syed Muhammad Atique Shah, nominated Governor Kundi to oversee the oath-taking process, following a request from the ECP to ensure compliance with constitutional requirements.

The ECP had written to the Chief Justice, urging the nomination of an authority to facilitate the oath-taking without further delay, citing Article 255(2) of the Constitution, which allows the Chief Justice to appoint someone to administer oaths.

The ECP emphasized the urgency of the matter, as the sworn-in members are required to complete the electoral college for the Senate elections scheduled for Monday at 11:00 AM in Jirga Hall, Peshawar.

The commission also issued directives to the Inspector General of Police, Chief Secretary, and Inspector General of Frontier Corps to ensure robust security arrangements for the Senate polls.

The adjournment of the KP Assembly session, due to a boycott by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPAs, was slammed by opposition leader Dr. Ibadullah, accusing the ruling PTI of deliberately stalling the process and vowed to pursue legal action to ensure the oath-taking occurs.

Despite an agreed-upon formula allocating six Senate seats to PTI and five to opposition parties, internal PTI divisions over ticket distribution have further complicated the situation, with five PTI candidates refusing to withdraw from the polls.

It is worth mentioning here that all candidates in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senate elections were elected unopposed following a mutual agreement between the provincial government and opposition

According to sources, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) resolved its internal disputes over covering candidates, with all dissenting PTI candidates withdrawing their nomination papers.

The election results align with a pre-agreed formula, allocating six Senate seats to PTI and five to the opposition. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) will each secure two seats, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will gain one seat.