PESHAWAR: Senate polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are likely to proceed without contest after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) confirmed its lineup of candidates, as approved by party founder Imran Khan.
On Friday, PTI’s political committee ratified the same names earlier recommended by its parliamentary board, smoothing the path for an uncontested election in the province. This development follows a political understanding between the KP government and opposition parties.
The party has nominated Murad Saeed, Faisal Javed, Mirza Khan Afridi, and Pir Noorul Haq Qadri for general seats. Rubina Naz will contest for the women’s seat, Azam Khan Swati has been put forward for the technocrat slot, and Mishaal Yousafzai will vie for the seat vacated by Sania Nishtar.
The committee also confirmed that disgruntled PTI members who had initially filed nomination papers for the Senate elections have now agreed to withdraw.
Earlier, these dissenting candidates held two rounds of talks with KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur but were unwilling to step aside until the political committee made its final decision.
Last week, the provincial government and opposition struck a deal on a 5/6 seat-sharing formula, giving PTI six seats and the opposition five.
With the seat-sharing agreement in place and PTI’s internal rifts settled, KP is now on course for a rare unopposed Senate election.
