ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) secured six of the 11 Senate seats from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) as polling concluded on Monday, following a seat-sharing arrangement between the government and opposition, Express News reported.
According to unofficial results, PTI won six seats while the opposition alliance, made up of PPP, PML-N, and JUI-F, secured five. Voting was held in the K-P Assembly’s Jirga Hall, where all 145 members cast their votes. Polling started at 11am and continued until 5:30 pm.
PTI candidates Murad Saeed, Faisal Javed, Allama Noorul Haq Qadri, and Mirza Afridi won general seats with 26, 22, 21, and 21 votes, respectively. From the opposition side, PML-N’s Niaz Ahmed, JUI-F’s Attaul Haq Darwaish, and PPP’s Talha Mahmood also secured seats with 19, 18, and 17 votes.
In the women’s category, PTI’s Rubina Naz was elected with 89 votes, followed by PPP’s Rubina Khalid with 52 votes. For technocrat seats, PTI’s Azam Swati won with 89 votes, while JUI-F’s Dilawar Khan secured 54 votes.
The voting followed a pre-decided power-sharing deal between the ruling party and opposition, under which PTI was allotted six seats and the opposition five. This arrangement helped avoid political confrontation and reduced the chances of horse-trading, which had been a concern in the past.
Despite internal friction and some PTI candidates refusing to withdraw, the party’s leadership managed to rally support for its main nominees. The opposition, meanwhile, fielded its candidates through a joint strategy and achieved its target.
Speaking after the voting, Opposition Leader Dr. Ibad thanked the allied parties for their support and said the process showed mutual respect for each other’s mandate. JUI-F’s Maulana Attaul Haq promised to use his Senate role to advocate for peace and jobs in the province.
A total of 25 candidates had contested for the 11 seats—seven general, two technocrat, and two reserved for women—with several candidates withdrawing ahead of the vote.
Punjab Assembly Senate by-election
Ruling party candidate Hafiz Abdul Karim of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won the Senate by-election in the Punjab Assembly, securing 242 votes.
Polling for the vacant Senate seat began at 9 am and continued until 4 pm. A total of 345 out of 368 votes were cast, with three votes rejected.
The election was supervised by Provincial Election Commissioner Sharifullah, who acted as the presiding officer. According to unofficial results announced after the vote count, Abdul Karim defeated opposition-backed candidate Mehr Abdul Sattar, who received 99 votes.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was among those who cast their votes. PML-N’s Chief Whip Rana Arshad served as polling agent for the ruling party, while Rana Shehbaz represented the opposition during the process.
The final results will be released by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
