PTI-backed Khurram Zeeshan Wins Senate Seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

PESHAWAR; PTI-backed independent candidate Khurram Zeeshan was elected senator on the general seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday, securing 91 out of 137 votes cast in the provincial assembly.

The seat had fallen vacant after the disqualification of PTI leader Shibli Faraz, who was removed from the Senate following his conviction in the May 9, 2023 riots cases. A minimum of 75 votes was required to win the seat.

Zeeshan defeated opposition-backed Taj Mohammad Afridi, who received 45 votes. Out of the 145 KP Assembly members, eight lawmakers did not cast their ballots, including four from the Awami National Party (ANP), while one vote was rejected.

In his victory message on Facebook, Zeeshan thanked God and reiterated PTI’s commitment to Pakistan’s “haqeeqi azadi” (true freedom), echoing Imran Khan’s slogan.

Polling began at 9:30 am and concluded at 4 pm, with Provincial Election Commissioner Saeed Gul serving as the returning officer. KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also voted, later expressing his support for Zeeshan through a post on X.

Zeeshan and his covering candidate Irfan Saleem had earlier been nominated by PTI for the 2024 Senate elections, which were postponed and later held in July. Two other candidates — independent Abid Khan Yousafzai and PPP’s Nisar Khan — had withdrawn their nominations.

The election took place a day after the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench dismissed a plea from Shibli Faraz’s lawyer seeking to stay the by-poll. The Peshawar High Court earlier this month had also denied Faraz any relief, instructing him to surrender before the relevant court before pursuing his case.

CM Afridi Promises New KP Cabinet and Calls for Transparent Security Policy

Separately, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced that a “brief” provincial cabinet would be unveiled following the Senate election. The statement came after Imran Khan’s sister reaffirmed that Afridi had full authority to form his government.

Opposition lawmakers have criticized PTI for delays in cabinet formation, warning that the governance vacuum could lead to administrative paralysis or even emergency measures in the province.

Speaking to reporters in Peshawar, CM Afridi defended PTI’s record of “good governance” and revealed that he was on the list of individuals allowed to meet Imran Khan in Adiala Jail. He warned that if he was barred again, he would file a contempt petition against jail authorities for defying Islamabad High Court orders.

On counterterrorism policy, Afridi asserted that the KP government was the “main stakeholder” and criticized federal decision-making without consulting the province. He welcomed the ongoing Pakistan-Afghanistan security talks but voiced reservations, insisting that decisions impacting KP’s security must not be taken “behind closed doors.”

He questioned the inconsistency in Pakistan’s past policies toward militancy, remarking, “This is not a laboratory; this is our province.” Afridi urged a clear and consistent counterterrorism strategy and called for legal accountability for “collateral damage” in drone attacks. He added that a provincial in-house committee had already discussed legislative measures related to these concerns.