Two PTI covering candidates withdraw from KP Senate elections

PESHAWAR: In a major relief for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), two of its covering candidates have withdrawn from the upcoming Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

PTI’s covering candidate, Waqas Orakzai, made the announcement after meeting with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

“I am not withdrawing under any pressure,” Waqas Orakzai clarified. “I received a call from Firdous Shamim Naqvi, and I am withdrawing my nomination at his request as he is a close friend of the PTI founder.”

KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur expressed gratitude to Waqas Orakzai for stepping aside in favor of the party’s decision, saying that his decision reflects his loyalty to the party and its founder Imran Khan.

In a separate move, PTI’s another covering candidate for the technocrat seat, Syed Irshad Hussain, has also withdrawn his nomination. He submitted a formal letter of withdrawal to the Election Commission.

Read More: All KP Senate seats ‘decided’ unopposed after mutual agreement

Earlier, according to a report, all candidates in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senate elections have been elected unopposed following a mutual agreement between the provincial government and opposition, ARY News reported citing sources.

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.

In a meeting of PTI’s core and political committees, the party finalized its Senate candidates and approved their names.

The selected candidates include Murad Saeed, Faisal Javed, Mirza Khan Afridi, and Noor-ul-Haq Qadri for general seats, Rubina Naz for the women’s seat, Azam Swati for the technocrat seat, and Mishal Yousafzai for the seat vacated by Sania Nishtar.