Assembly for Upper House: PTI’s Azam Swati bags Senate seat in by-polls

Ruling party, JI agreed to join hands in by-polls after Azam Hoti’s death left berth vacant.

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa President Azam Swati was elected to the Upper House of Parliament in by-polls on Wednesday.

Polling for the seat which fell vacant following the death of Awami National Party leader Azam Khan Hoti last month took place at the K-P Assembly building. The main hall had been declared the polling station. According to results shared with the media, Swati bagged 70 votes, while his lone rival Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl candidate Haji Ghulam Ali managed to muster 41 out of 117 votes polled.

Voter dynamics

Six votes were rejected — four of which were cast in favour of Swati, while the remaining two in favour of JUI-F’s candidate. Four lawmakers could not participate in the election: JUI-F’s Malik Noor Salim, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Sobia Shahid, Syed Jafer Shah of ANP and PTI’s Dr Haider Ali Khan were abroad. PPP’s Sardar Hussain Shah did not vote.



The K-P Assembly is meant to have 124 members but JI’s recently elected MPA from Lower Dir is yet to take oath as a member of the house and by-elections for PK-56, Mansehra-IV are scheduled for June 8. Talking to reporters following his victory, Swati thanked lawmakers for placing their trust in him. “My victory reflects lawmakers’ trust in PTI chief Imran Khan and his policies.”

Swati also thanked the PTI leadership for issuing him the Senate ticket from the province.

Haji Ghulam Ali, the runner up, found reason to complain about PML-N lawmakers. He said they did not support him even though Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had told party workers to back him as he was the joint candidate of all opposition parties. He, however, said the polls were held in a positive atmosphere.

Coalition support

On May 6, JI and PTI decided to support each other’s candidates in the Senate and Lower Dir provincial assembly by-polls. The decision was taken after a delegation of PTI leaders led by Minister for Minerals Ziaullah Afridi and MNA Ayesha Gulalai met JI chief Sirajul Haq.

Haq had said PTI would support JI’s candidate for the PK-95 constituency. The seat fell vacant after Haq was elected to the Senate. In return he said the JI would support Swati for the Senate seat which fell vacant after the death of ANP senator Azam Khan Hoti on April 15.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2015.