Independent lawmakers hold the balance of power in K-P Assembly
K-P Assembly. PHOTO: AFP
In a rapidly evolving political scenario in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), 35 independent Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) have emerged as kingmakers in determining the future of the current government set-up.
These independent lawmakers, all formerly affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), currently hold the key to maintaining or toppling the administration led by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. If they continue to support the government, the ruling alliance will retain a comfortable majority with 93 out of 145 seats in the house. However, should they withdraw their support, the government's strength would drop to just 58 seats, causing it to lose its majority in the Assembly.
At present, Gandapur's government enjoys the backing of 93 lawmakers, 58 of them official PTI members, while the remaining 35 are independents who were elected under the PTI banner but are not formally part of the party in the current Assembly setup.
The list of influential independents includes: Asif Khan (Upper South Waziristan), Muhammad Usman (Tank), Ali Hadi Karam, Aurangzeb Khan (Orakzai), Shah Abu Turab (Hangu), Shafiullah Jan, Dawood Shah, and Aftab Alam (Kohat), Khaliqur Rehman (Nowshera), Meena Khan and Sher Ali Afridi (Peshawar), Muhammad Sohail Afridi and Muhammad Adnan Qadri (Khyber), Muhammad Israr (Mohmand), Rangez Khan (Swabi), Malik Adeel Iqbal (Haripur), Mushtaq Ghani, Iftikhar Jadoon, and Rajab Ali Abbasi (Abbottabad), Laiq Muhammad Khan (Torghar), Zahid Chanzeb and Munir Hussain (Mansehra), Taj Muhammad and Zubair Khan (Battagram), Muhammad Riaz (Kolai-Palas Kohistan), Fazal Haq (Upper Kohistan), Abdul Munim (Shangla), Abdul Kabir Khan (Buner), Masoor Khan (Malakand), Ajmal Khan (Bajaur), Liaqat Ali Khan and Shafiullah (Lower Dir), Amjad Ali and Fazal Hakim (Swat) and Deputy Speaker Suraiya Bibi (Upper Chitral).
On the opposition side, five parties collectively hold 27 seats. These include nine members each from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), five from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and two each from the Awami National Party (ANP) and PTI Parliamentarians.
Currently, 25 seats in the Assembly remain vacant21 reserved for women and four for minorities. If these seats are filled by opposition nominees, their strength could rise to 52 members.