Opposition in Pakistan's KP cries foul as assembly session adjourns without oath-taking
The matter of reserved seats has become a controversial one in Pakistan. The country's top court ruled in June that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan was not entitled to reserved seats in the national and provincial legislatures.
The dispute about the reserved seats stems from the February 8 general elections, where PTI candidates contested as independents after the party lost its electoral symbol for not holding valid intra-party elections, as required under the Elections Act. Despite winning the most general seats in the national polls, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled that PTI was ineligible for reserved seats for women and minorities in parliament, which are allocated based on proportional representation from among the seats won by political parties.
The reserved seats were then allocated to other political parties, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party and its coalition partners. At least 21 women and four minority members were supposed to take oath as members of the KP Assembly on reserved seats today, Sunday, as per local media reports.
'New members poised to take their oath on reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly were unable to do so today due to a lack of quorum, forcing the session to be adjourned,' state television channel PTV News reported.
The reserved seats were crucial for the PTI, which is the largest party in KP and has formed its government in the northwestern province consecutively since 2013.
According to state media, PTI lawmaker Sher Ali Afridi highlighted the lack of quorum early in the session. As attendance remained insufficient, Speaker Babar Saleem Swati adjourned proceedings until 2:00 p.m. on July 24.
'Addressing media in Peshawar, Leader of the Opposition Dr. Ibaadullah sharply criticized the provincial government, stating it was 'playing with the assembly,'' PTV News reported.
'He lamented that the province has been deprived of its due representation in the Senate for more than a year. '
KP GOVERNOR TO ADMINISTER OATH
Following the delay, KP opposition lawmakers filed a petition at the Peshawar High Court, urging the chief justice to nominate an authority to administer the oath to lawmakers on reserved seats.
The PHC subsequently issued an order seen by Arab News, in which it nominated KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to administer the oath to the lawmakers 'at the earliest.'
PTI's KP chapter criticized the verdict on social media platform X.
عدلیہ ریاست کا ستون ہوتی ہے لیکن بدقسمتی سے پاکستانی عدلیہ ایک زیلی ادارہ بن کے رہ گئی ہے جس کو لوگ اپنے مفادات میں استعمال کرتے ہیں۔ ان عدالتوں کے دروازے کبھی رات کو 12 بجے کھل جاتے ہیں تو کبھی اتوار کو لیکن عام ادمی کو انصاف دینے کے لیے کبھی نہیں کھلتے ۔۔۔… pic.twitter.com/zDw4Nkjzlp
— PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (@PTIKPOfficial) July 20, 2025
'The judiciary is supposed to be a pillar of the state, but unfortunately, Pakistan's judiciary has been reduced to a subordinate institution that people use for their own interests,' it wrote, sharing a copy of the PHC's order.
The addition of new lawmakers in KP Assembly opposed to the PTI will numerically strengthen the opposition while dealing yet another blow to Khan's party.
The former prime minister's party has faced legal and political challenges since the downfall of its administration in a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
Khan's party launched a 90-day 'do-or-die' anti-government protest drive earlier this month, saying it would reach its 'peak' on August 5, marking two years since the former premier was jailed on corruption charges.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Islamabad, Kabul vow closer cooperation to tackle militancy, improve border management — FO
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan have reaffirmed their commitment to countering militancy and improving border management, the Pakistani interior ministry said on Sunday, following a meeting between the two interior ministers in Kabul. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Kabul on Sunday for a day-long visit to hold talks with Sirajuddin Haqqani, his counterpart in the Afghan interim government, days after top Pakistani officials visited Kabul to sign a framework agreement for a joint feasibility study on the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Project. Naqvi's visit also followed the inaugural additional secretary-level talks between both sides in Islamabad to discuss trade, visas, security, connectivity and refugee issues as well as a meeting of the Pakistani, Afghan and Chinese foreign ministers in Beijing, which resulted in the upgradation of Pakistan-Afghanistan diplomatic relations to the ambassador's rank. During their meeting, the Pakistani and Afghan interior ministers discussed bilateral relations and matters relating to the Pakistani Taliban and counter-terrorism, border management, narcotics control and the process of repatriation of Afghan citizens illegally residing in Pakistan, according to the Pakistani interior ministry. 'Both interior ministers emphasized the need for peaceful coexistence, stability, and cooperation,' the Pakistani ministry said in a statement. 'They agreed to strengthen mutual cooperation to eliminate the scourge of terrorism and Pak-Afghan border management.' The TTP, which mainly operates in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan, has stepped up its attacks against Pakistani security forces and law enforcers in recent months. Islamabad has often said the group has sanctuaries in Afghanistan, an allegation denied by Kabul. Naqvi said militant groups were causing chaos and instability in the region, and that Pakistan wishes brotherly and lasting relations with Afghanistan, according to the statement. 'We have to stop it [militancy] together,' he was quoted as saying. 'Pakistan has selflessly hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades, and its doors are open for the legal entry of Afghan citizens.' Pakistan this year said it wanted 3 million Afghans to leave the country, including 1.4 million people with Proof of Registration cards and some 800,000 with Afghan Citizen Cards. There are a further 1 million Afghans in the country illegally because they have no paperwork, according to officials. Analysts link the recent high-level engagements between Pakistan and Afghanistan to a growing effort toward regional peace, suggesting that the process should continue to address militancy, refugee resettlement, and broader bilateral cooperation. 'These continued high-level engagements are crucial for promoting peace in our surrounding, but they should not be one-off efforts, instead, a sustained and continuous process of engagement is needed,' former Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Dr. Nafees Zakaria told Arab News. 'Constructive engagement with Afghanistan is important to help stabilize the [security] situation, which is ultimately in Pakistan's interest,' he said, adding that it was essential for Kabul to not provide space to 'inferior elements' for bilateral relations to have a stable trajectory. Zakaria said both countries needed to consider all other aspects of their relationship, including cultural cooperation and refugee issues. 'They (Afghan refugees) are now returning to their country... their proper resettlement is crucial, otherwise, it could become a humanitarian catastrophe,' he said. Qamar Cheema, executive director of the Sanober Institute think tank that focuses on South Asia issues, said these continued engagements were essential to fill 'gaps' in bilateral relations between the two countries. 'Pakistan wants the Afghan Taliban to hold the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan accountable and for this matter, multiple means are being used, including the multilateral and or trilateral forum like Pakistan, Afghanistan and China,' he told Arab News. 'Pakistan is seeking further assurances and aims to persuade the Afghan Taliban to continue summoning the TTP leadership and issuing clear political statements in order to prevent the TTP from launching attacks or crossing the border into Pakistan.' Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based analyst, said the visit follows a trilateral push for a trans-regional rail link that offers major benefits for war-torn Afghanistan. 'Sino-Pakistan offer to include Afghanistan in the multi-billion-dollar worth of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) reflects Islamabad's intent to offer lucrative geo-economic incentives to the Kabul administration,' he said. 'These incentives aim to encourage recognition of Pakistan's security concerns regarding terrorist organizations operating from Afghan soil and to reduce their space and capacity.'
Arab News
6 hours ago
- Arab News
One arrested over Balochistan ‘honor killing' after video goes viral online
KARACHI: A suspect has been arrested for involvement in a recent 'honor killing' of a couple in Pakistan's Balochistan province, a provincial government spokesman said on Sunday, after a disturbing video of the incident went viral online. The video clip, which shows the couple being shot at by armed men for marrying of their choice, has sparked nationwide outrage and calls for bringing the perpetrators to justice as well as the safety of basic human rights in the region. Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, Balochistan government spokesman Shahid Rind said the incident captured in the viral video had taken place in Balochistan around Eid Al-Adha holiday. 'This area [where the incident took place] has been identified,' Rind said. 'Both families did not report the incident. We will have a case registered with the state as complainant.' The couple had been executed on the orders of a jirga, a council of tribal elders, according to reports. Rind said they had taken data of the suspects after their identification through the viral video clip. 'Raids are being conducted to arrest other suspects,' he said, adding the government will not consider any kind of pressure. So-called honor killings are common in Pakistan, where family members and relatives sometimes kill women and men who don't follow local traditions and culture or decide to marry of their own choice. On Sunday, the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), a group of clerics and religious scholars, said killing of a woman or a man in the name of honor is 'un-Islamic, anti-Sharia and terrorism' and terrorism cases should be filed against people involved in such incidents. 'Pakistan Ulema Council demands of Chief Minister Balochistan, Governor Balochistan and IGP Balochistan to arrest the culprits who killed a woman under 'Honour Killing' as depicted in a viral video on social media,' the council said in a statement. 'Those killers should be tried in the Terrorism Court and the culprits should be prosecuted at the very place in the same way.'
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistani interior minister in Kabul on day-long visit amid thaw in ties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday arrived in Kabul to meet his Afghan counterpart on a day-long visit, the Pakistani interior ministry said, amid a thaw in relations between the two neighbors. The visit comes more than a week after Pakistani and Afghan officials held an inaugural round of the additional secretary-level talks in Islamabad to discuss trade, visas, security, connectivity and refugee issues. It followed a meeting of the Pakistani, Afghan and Chinese foreign ministers in Beijing and the upgradation of Pakistan-Afghanistan diplomatic relations to the ambassador's rank. Pakistan and Afghanistan have had rocky relations mainly due to a spike in militancy in Pakistan's western regions that border Afghanistan, following the Taliban's takeover of Kabul in 2021. Islamabad says anti-Pakistan militants carry out cross-border attacks using safe havens in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies. Another source of tension has been Pakistan's drive to expel Afghans, which first began in Nov. 2023. Upon arrival at the Kabul airport, Interior Minister Naqvi was received by Afghan Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Nabi Omari and other senior officials, the Pakistani interior ministry said. 'Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi will meet his Afghan counterpart Sirajuddin Haqqani,' it said, without elaborating on the agenda of the meeting. 'Interior Secretary Khurram Agha and senior officials are accompanying him.' This month's additional secretary-level talks in Islamabad came in follow up of the decisions reached during the visit of Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to Kabul in April, according to the Pakistani foreign office. 'Both sides recognized terrorism as a serious threat to regional peace and security. The Pakistani side emphasized the need for concrete actions against terrorist groups operating on Afghan soil, noting that such groups undermine Pakistan's security and hinder regional development,' the Pakistani foreign ministry said. 'The two sides exchanged views on deepening trade and transit cooperation. They reviewed the implementation status of measures announced during the visit of Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of Pakistan to Kabul for facilitating Afghan transit trade, including the removal of a 10 percent processing fee, provision of an insurance guarantee, reduction in scanning and examination, and operationalization of the track and trace system.' The Pakistani side was led by Additional Secretary for Afghanistan and West Asia, Ambassador Syed Ali Asad Gillani, while the Afghan side was led by Director-General of the First Political Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor. They underlined the importance of enhanced regional connectivity as a catalyst for sustainable growth and shared prosperity. Afghanistan's foreign ministry said the two sides stressed the need to resolve the 'issues of Afghan prisoners and refugees in Pakistan and facilitate the provision of visas to Afghan patients and businessmen.' Pakistan this year said it wanted 3 million Afghans to leave the country, including 1.4 million people with Proof of Registration cards and some 800,000 with Afghan Citizen Cards. There are a further 1 million Afghans in the country illegally because they have no paperwork, according to officials. 'Pakistan side shared an overview of its efforts to facilitate documented travel from Afghanistan, notably through the issuance of over 500,000 visas since January 2024 to date across a range of categories such as medical, tourist, business, and study. Both sides agreed to work together to further strengthen the legal movement of individuals across borders,' Islamabad's foreign ministry said. Both sides assured of continued mutual communication and cooperation to address current challenges and described security as important for regional development and further strengthening bilateral relations, according to the two foreign ministries.
