Upper House polls: K-P opposition resigned to zero-sum game

Three meetings yield no outcome, alliance likely to offload PPP.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa legislature’s opposition has failed to reach a settlement over an acceptable distribution of Senate seats amongst its five constituent stakeholders.

The final attempts to cut a deal were made on Tuesday night during a meeting of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Qaumi Watan Party, Pakistan Peoples Party and Awami National Party representatives, with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman in the chair.



An opposition insider privy to the development told The Express Tribune the meeting remained inconclusive as most parties stuck to their guns and refused to budge from their positions.

Requesting anonymity, a participant of the negotiations said most details were almost finalised and deadlock remained only over a single technocrat seat, with both PML-N and JUI-F claiming the berth. The leader added PPP had also dug its heels in over the claim of two general seats, refusing to budge.

“The PPP is asking too much from the alliance,” he said, adding the opposition might go ahead with the negotiations, offloading the fifth stakeholder. “The ANP will secure the women reserved seat for itself,” he disclosed.

The 53-member opposition in the Upper House is likely to bag three general, one technocrat and one reserved seat for women in the upcoming polls. JUI-F currently leads the line with 17 members, while PML-N has 16, QWP 10 while both PPP and ANP have five members each.

In case of an equal division of seats, each of the parties is likely to secure fresh representation in the Senate. Around three meetings have been held so far to disentangle the Gordian knot, resulting in no substantial outcome.

Getting the house in order

PML-N K-P lawmakers met party supremo Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad on Wednesday. There were reports of discord within the party’s ranks after its Mansehra MPA Wajihuzzaman Khan reportedly threw his weight behind an independent candidate Waqar Ahmed Khan. Wajih’s mother Fozia Fakhruzzaman is also contesting polls as an independent candidate.

PML-N parliamentary leader Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha denied the speculation and said Wajih was present in the meeting with the premier, who instructed party leaders to abide by the central leadership’s decisions. “Every PML-N lawmaker will vote for the party’s nominees,” he assured.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2015.