Aleema Khan raises questions over Mashal Yousafzai’s senate appointment

RAWALPINDI: Aleema Khan has questioned the merit behind Mashal Yousafzai’s recent appointment as a senator, ARY News reported.

Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail, she stated that she did not wish to waste time discussing such individuals, but believed justice should have been done.

Aleema emphasised that Senate appointments should be based purely on merit. She said that if merit were truly the standard, there were many others more qualified than Mashal Yousafzai.

While she refrained from directly criticising Mashal, Aleema made it clear that, in her view, the selection process should have been more transparent and merit-based.

PTI’s candidate Mashal Yousafzai was elected to the Senate in the by-elections held in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. She secured victory with 86 votes.

She fills the seat left vacant by former PTI Senator Dr Sania Nishtar.

Opposition candidate Mehtab Zafar received 53 votes, while independent candidate Saima Khalid managed just one. Two votes were declared invalid during the count.

Also Read: PTI issues Senate ticket to Mashal Yousafzai

Earlier, Mashal Yousafzai’s party ticket was issued on the directives of PTI founder Imran Khan. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar released the official notification, ordering other party candidates—Sajida Begum, Mumena Basit, Samira Shams, and Saima Khalid—to withdraw by July 30.

In related news, Maryam Riaz Wattoo, sister of Bushra Bibi, said that the PTI founder’s wife did not recommend Mashal Yousafzai for any role, including the Senate seat.

“I am 100 percent sure that Bushra Bibi did not recommend Mashaal Yousafzai for any role. [I] don’t know who recommended her [Mashal Yousafzai],” Maryam Riaz Wattoo said on being asked over the reasons behind Mashal’s ticket for a Senate seat.

“Barrister Saif presented a list to PTI founder Imran Khan. We don’t know what was told to Imran Khan, nor do we know what was conveyed to him or what approval was given,” said Maryam Riaz Wattoo.