Senate polls spark rift among opp parties

ECP's announcement sows discord ahead of July 21 elections

PESHAWAR:

The Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) announcement to hold Senate elections for vacant seats from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has triggered friction among opposition parties in the province. Scheduled for July 21, the upcoming polls have set off intense political maneuvering, with opposition parties gearing up to outdo each other in a bid to increase their Senate representation. The resulting competition threatens to disrupt the fragile alliance among opposition forces.

Elections will be conducted for 11 Senate seats, which include seven general seats, two technocrat seats, and two reserved for women. Sources indicate that opposition parties have already begun nominating candidates, with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) taking the lead. The party has nominated its provincial general secretary Maulana Attaul Haq Dervish for a general seat and Senator Dilawar Khan for a technocrat seat.

Currently, the opposition holds a significant presence in the provincial assembly, with JUI-F occupying 19 seats, PML-N 16, PPP 11, ANP three, and PTI Parliamentarians also holding three seats. Following the recent implementation of decisions regarding reserved seats, the strength of the opposition bloc in the assembly has risen to 52 members. Based on this number, opposition parties are expected to secure four Senate seats—two general, one technocrat, and one women's seat—while the ruling PTI is projected to win seven seats, including five general, one technocrat, and one women's seat.

Since the merger of the former tribal areas, the requirement to win a general seat now stands at 19 assembly votes. Political analysts believe JUI-F is likely to secure one general seat, but internal competition is expected to intensify over the technocrat and women's seats. Parties like the PPP and ANP may assert their own claims and present conditions for cooperation, which could further strain opposition unity.

There are growing concerns that these emerging disputes might sour relations between opposition parties not only within the province but also at the federal level, where many of these parties are allied.

It may be mentioned here that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has filed a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) challenging the allocation of reserved seats in the K-P Assembly. The party has requested the court to restrain the newly selected members on reserved seats from taking oath until a final decision is made.

The ECP has been named as a respondent in the petition. Following the ANP and PTIP, PML-N has also turned to the court over what it terms as unfair distribution of reserved seats.