Assembly | Pakistan

PESHAWAR/MANSEHRA: Following the emergence of a dissident group of lawmakers within the ruling PTI, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati seems reluctant to hold an assembly session, apparently fearing criticism against the provincial government by the party’s own MPAs over the question of Imran Khan’s continued imprisonment. Reports of rifts within the PTI emerged soon after the induction of new ministers, advisers and special assistants – who took oath on May 22. It is understood that some of the MPAs in question are unhappy after not being included in the provincial cabinet. The last sitting of the KP Assembly was held on May 18, which was adjourned by the chair till June 1. However, the house did not meet on the scheduled date, as the speaker first postponed it to June 8. The latest notification issued by the assembly secretariat on Sunday said that the sitting would now be held on Monday, June 15 at 2pm. One of the dissidents told Dawn that there were initially 25 of them, but the number...

PESHAWAR - The oath taking of 25 newly elected opposition members of the KP Assembly on reserved seats, administered by Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi has been challenged in the Peshawar High Court on Monday.

FAISALABAD - Minister of State for Interior and senior PML-N leader Senator Talal Chaudhry said on Sunday that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly was playing dirty games to sabotage the very spirit of Constitution, and a deep-rooted conspiracy had been hatched intentionally to exploit the quorum with ulterior motives to deviate from set.

• Party now has the same number of seats as JUI-F, making it eligible for another reserved seat • ECP allows PML-N to count independent ‘notified’ later among its tally, rejects similar plea from PTI-P • ANP also denied relief, told allocation is calculated on basis of general seats, not by-election ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan has decided to allow the PML-N to retain a general assembly seat while rejecting a similar request by the PTI-Parliamentarians, saying it was not supported by the law. In its decision on a case about the allocation of reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, announced on Tuesday, the commission provided relief to the ruling party that had sought a greater share in the KP Assembly reserved seats on the basis of the additional general seat handed to the PML-N, which was initially declared to be held by an independent candidate. The announcement followed a Peshawar High Court order, asking the ECP to redistribute reserved seats in the provincial assembly. With ...

• Writes to KP governor, chief minister; says delay in oath taking would prevent it from holding Senate elections on schedule • Commission reserves verdict on plea seeking redistribution of reserved seats in provincial assembly ISLAMABAD: With Senate elections in Kh­yber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) just a week away, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has written to the province’s governor and chief minister, asking that the provincial assembly be convened immediately so that new members can be sworn in on reserved seats. Also on Monday, the ECP reserved its verdict in a case related to reallocation of reserved seats in the KP Assembly. The letter, addressed to the KP governor’s principal secretary, stated that the commission was obligated to conduct Senate elections in the province, which had been set for July 21. “But the matter of administration of oath is still pending and dela­yed,” it said. The correspondence no­ted that the KP Asse­mbly speaker was requ­ested to administer the oath to the newly returned can...

The political equation in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly has undergone a major transformation following the restoration of 25 reserved seats, significantly boosting the strength of the opposition and intensifying pressure on the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).