Peshawar:
After much ADO, 25 opposition legislators in reserved seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chose the assembly of their oath – not in the provincial legislature exposed earlier in the day due to a lack of cattle, but at the Governor House on Sunday night.
With the induction of these new MPAs, the KP assembly is now finally fully constituted almost a year and a half after February 8, 2024 parliamentary elections. The OATH roof of these MPAs has also paved the way for the Senate elections for 11 seats, held at the provincial assembly today.
The competition includes 7 general seats along with 2 seats each for women and technocrats, which a total of 16 candidates are over.
The Senate elections implemented under the supervision of the Pakistan Election Commission (ECP) will allow each MPA to cast three votes.
One of the ballots – the white – will be for general seats. The green ballot is for technocrat seats and the pink ballot is for female seats
To win one of the 7 general seats, a candidate needs 19 votes. For the 4 seats reserved for women and technocrats, each candidate requires 49 votes to be successful.
Through mutual consultation, the government and the opposition have jointly marked 11 candidates – 6 supported by the government and 5 of the opposition. In addition, five other PTI candidates also contest independently.
The KP assembly could not be fully composed after the last year’s election due to a controversy about reserved seats, as the reigning party in the province, PTI, claimed. However, PTI lost the legal battle for reserved seats on June 28.
Later, ECP distributed the reserved seats for women and minority members among opposition parties-PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, ANP and PTI-P.
These MPAs including 21 women and 4 minority members were scheduled to take oaths in a specially requested assembly session on Sunday. However, right after the start of the session, a reigning party member, Shair Ali Afridi, pointed out the lack of decision -making.
Opposition members raised an uprising and staged a protest with the newly elected women and minority representatives about the speaker’s dais and sang slogans.
Opposition leader Dr. Ibadullah Khan asked the speaker, Babar Saleem Swati, to manage oath to the MPAs and said the seats had been unemployed for a year and a half.
Speaker Swati told him that a lack of decision -making was now identified. “Someone should mention a clause that allows me to continue the assembly procedure,” he added.
When PML-N member Sobia Shahid protested, her microphone was turned off. The speaker noted that she was not allowed to speak as this was not a session for speeches.
After this, the speaker ordered an employee number in the assembly.
Only 25 members were present in the house, causing him to order bells to be called for two minutes. However, the required number of members were not met. Consequently, the speaker postponed the session until July 24 and stated that the Ed-Cermonia would take place in the next session.
Previously, the PTI Parliamentary Party held a meeting where government members were asked not to enter the hall and to boycott procedures to prevent the ED-Ceremony.
In a media briefing after the session, Dr. The Ibadullah Khan provincial government and said, “For the past 12 years, the province has been ruled by politically immature individuals.
Afterwards, Dr. Ibadullah Khan together with opposition members a petition in Peshawar High Court (PHC), who requested Chief Justice to nominate an appropriate person in accordance with Article 255 (2). 2, in the Constitution to manage ED to the newly elected members on reserved seats.
Meanwhile, the ECP also approached the PHC chief court and asked him to appoint a person to manage oath for the new MPa. KP Chief Justice Syed Muhammad Attique Shah later approved KP -Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to take Ed.
Later, Sunday evening, a heavy ringing ceremony was held in the Governor House in Peshawar, where Governor Kundi administered oath to the 25 newly elected members in accordance with Article 65 and Article 255 (2). 2, of the Constitution and Rule 6 of the KP procedure and behavior in business rules, 1988.
The ceremony attended the Federal Minister of Safron Engineer Amir Muqam, opposition leader Dr. Ibadullah Khan, PPP parliamentary leader Ahmad Karim Kundi, ANP parliamentary leader Arbab Usman Khan and PML-N leader Murtaza Javed Abbasi along with several MPAs and leaders.
After administering oath, the governor congratulated the newly sworn members. He also thanked the PHC chief court for nominating him to this important constitutional responsibility.
Meanwhile, PTI’s provincial government announced a challenge to the OATH tag of the MPAs in PHC.
According to KP Attorney Shah Faisal Utmankhel, Article 65 of the Constitution decides that members of the assembly must take their oaths in the assembly house. He said the speaker did not refuse to administer oath; The session was postponed due to lack of decision -making.
He added that an assembly session is scheduled for July 24, and under such circumstances oath cannot be taken in the Governor House.
Article 255 (2) of the Constitution. 2, uses the term “impossible” or “impossible”, and only if the minister of chief or speaker refuses to administer oath can Chief Justice nominate someone to this responsibility, he said.
According to AG, neither CM nor the speaker refused to administer oaths and had been called for a session for this purpose. “The government is challenging the oath administered in the Governor House and that a formal petition will be presented in PHC today on behalf of CM,” he said.
