K-P likely to summon assembly session in mid-September

Newly-elected MPAs will have to wait until then for their oath-taking ceremony

PESHAWAR: A month after elections for the provincial assembly seats in the erstwhile federally administered tribal areas (Fata), the government has yet to summon a session of the provincial assembly so that the newly elected representatives can take the oath.

A top government official, however, has refuted theories that the government has issues over how the elections turned out while sources say that the government intends to call a session in September.

Elections for the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly in the newly-merged tribal districts took place for the very first time on July 20. The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won as many as five seats while the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) won three and the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Pakistan Peoples Party won one seat each. Independents bagged as many as six of the 16 general seats up for grabs but at least three of those independents decided to join the ruling party later on. Two others joined the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) while one retained his independent status.

But the government did not call a session of the assembly in August. As a result, these MPAs-elect could not take the oath.

Sources within the government ranks told The Express Tribune on Wednesday that the government has decided to summon the session in September.

The source added that the provincial government had first delayed the assembly session to give itself maximum time to woo independent candidates from the newly-merged tribal districts.

The only issue that now remained was about the women seats in the provincial assembly. Of the four reserved seats for women up for grabs, two were secured by the PTI. The JUI-F got one while BAP got the other one.

The source added that it had initially been decided to call a session after the Eid holidays, but it was delayed on the request of the provincial government.

On the other hand, the K-P Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai clarified that there was no issue in convening a session of the assembly and holding the oath-taking ceremony, assuring that a session of the provincial parliament will be convened soon.

He conceded there was little assembly business in the month.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2019.