Three candidates are in the running: Khurram Zeeshan, PTI’s Irfan Saleem, opposition candidate Taj Muhammad Afridi
Polling has begun for the Senate seat vacated after Shibli Faraz’s disqualification. Three candidates are in the running: Khurram Zeeshan and Irfan Saleem of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), and opposition candidate Taj Muhammad Afridi.
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi got stuck in traffic jams on his way to the assembly and continued on foot, greeting and shaking hands with commuters along the way.
After casting his vote, Afridi told reporters that he was heading to Adiala jail to meet PTI founder Imran Khan. He expressed confidence in the PTI’s position in the provincial assembly, saying, “None of our MPAs have defected, from the election of the president to my own selection.”
He criticized the federal government for excluding Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa from discussions that directly affect the province. “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a stakeholder in the Pakistan-Afghanistan talks, but we have not received confidence,” he said. “Our position is that decisions regarding the province should not be made behind closed doors. »
Voting began at 9 a.m. and will end at 4 p.m. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Election Commissioner Saeed Gul serves as the returning officer, while Joint Provincial Election Commissioner Muhammad Nadeem Khan, Deputy Director Media Coordination Sohail Ahmed, Deputy Election Officer Fahad Ali Shah and Deputy Director Law Muhammad Amjad act as polling agents.
Read: Supreme Court refuses to delay Senate bypoll for Shibli Faraz seat
Re-election of Senate seat
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court rejected Faraz’s request to suspend the elections, ruling that it would not interfere in the electoral process.
Earlier, a special anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad had sentenced PTI leaders Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub to ten years in prison each for their alleged involvement in the May 9, 2023 riots that followed the arrest of Imran Khan.
The Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified nine PTI lawmakers, including Leader of Opposition in Senate Faraz and Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Ayub, after their conviction. Both initially challenged their disqualification in the Peshawar High Court, but their petitions were dismissed as “not admissible” since they had not appeared before the court. They then appealed to the Supreme Court.
