The governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Faisal, Karim Kundi, administered the oath to 25 members of the provincial assembly on the seats reserved for women and minorities, following an intervention by the High Court of Peshawar (PHC). On Sunday, the swearing -taking ceremony took place at Governor House from Peshawar.
Earlier in the day, an assembly session provided to administer the oath was disrupted when the quorum was disputed shortly after the start of the procedure. As a result, President Babar Saleem Swati postponed the session until July 24 at 2 p.m.
The opposition parties subsequently approached the High Court of Peshawar (PHC) to guarantee the scam of the newly elected legislators. In response, the court ordered the provincial governor to administer the oath instead of the President of the Assembly.
The newly sworn legislators include seven women and two minority members of Jamiat Ulema-E-Islam (JUI), seven women and a minority member of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) (PTI-P).
The intervention of the court should mitigate the current tensions on the delay in taking the oath, a question which had aroused concerns concerning the constitutional process and the representation in the provincial legislature.
It is absolutely shameful that the administration of the oath to elected members – an undeniable constitutional law – be hampered by the provincial government of the PTI, once again exposing those who have constantly laughed at the democratic process. However, democracy must prevail. I am… pic.twitter.com/sihxmfjublis
– Faisal Karim Kundi (@fkkundi) July 20, 2025
The Governor of KP, Faisal, Karim Kundi, firmly condemned the obstruction of taking the oath by elected legislators, calling him a violation of constitutional rights and a “shameful act”.
In a statement published after administering the oath to 25 elected members on reserved seats, Governor Kundi criticized the provincial government, led by Pakistan Tehreek-E-insaf (PTI), for what he described as repeated attempts to undermine the democratic process.
“Preventing elected officials from taking an oath is shameful. It is their constitutional right, and any obstruction in this process is deeply regrettable,” said Kundi.
He thanked the PHC for having authorized him to carry out the oath ceremony and reaffirmed his commitment to protect democratic values.
“We will not allow the sacredness of democracy to be violated. The PTI has exposed itself by interfering in a constitutional obligation,” he added.
Following the Directives of PHC, the Pakistan Electoral Commission (ECP) announced that the Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will now start at 11:00 am instead of 9:00 a.m.
In a press release published on X (formerly Twitter), the ECP said: “The electoral commission orders by the present that the survey will start at 11:00 am (instead of 9:00 am) for the conduct of the Senate elections against seven general seats, two female seats and two seats for technocrats, including Ulema, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, July, 202. “.
