BAP becomes new entry in K-P Assembly

Three MPAs of merged districts join Balochistan Awami Party

PESHAWAR: Three of the winning candidates of the merged districts have joined the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) which has changed the historic formation of the K-P Assembly.

With the entry of the new party in the K-P Assembly the number of parliamentary parties in the house has risen to seven  while if JI parts ways with JUI-F after political differences, the number would stand at eight

The new alliance has also altered the reserved seat formation of the political parties in the post merged district elections It was clear that if the members of the newly merged districts win and joined the PTI, they would have four reserved seats.

However, with the entrance of the Balochistan Awami party into the K-P Assembly now the PTI would have two, JUI-F, and BAP one-each.

The treasury benches formation has also been altered as PTI which will soon ink an alliance with PML-Q and BAP, while the opposition has reached to five parties’ alliance bond, as JI emerged as party into the post election results in the merged districts.

Its pertinent to mention that three of the MPAs of the merged districts, Al-Haj Bilal Afridi, Al-Haj Shafiq Afridi and Abbass ur Rehman Mohmand joined the BAP on late Friday night.

Meanwhile with the alliance of the new party the treasury benches reached a two thirds majority in the K-P Assembly with 100 members on its benches while with new elected members into the K-P Assembly the opposition numbers have reached to 42.

The details of the break-up show that PTI already has  85 members in the house, with new five members and two independents and three reserved seats and support of the PML-Q the PTI have secured two thirds majority into the K-P Assembly out of total 145 members.

Meanwhile the K-P Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai has termed the alliance of BAP and the PTI government in the K-P Assembly as a premature decision and added that they would desire to join the treasury benches, but PTI hasn’t need of any other party or members as we are near two third majority.

JUI-F candidate wins in merged districts election

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued notification of successful candidate of JUI-F Muhammad Shoaib on the PK-115 Frontier region constituency, which was previously withheld as the matter was sub judice.

In the elections of the merged districts held on the 16 general seats, the PTI has already secured five, JUI-F-2, ANP-1, JI-1 and 6 independent candidates have clinched  victory in elections, while the only FR regions result was undeclared as JUI-F had objected to the counting and moved court.

The JUI-F has now withdrawn its petition against the ECP and with its candidate being notified as winning candidate now the number of JUI-F has risen to three.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2019.