KP Governor Administers Oath to 25 MPAs After PHC Intervention

A session of the K-P Assembly was called to

swear in the members, but it was adjourned due

to a lack of quorum after it was challenged by PTI

Special Correspondent

Peshawar: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi administered the oath to 25 newly elected members of the provincial assembly on reserved seats for women and minorities, following directives from the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Sunday.

The oath-taking ceremony was held at Governor House, Peshawar, with officials from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and K-P Assembly staff in attendance.

Assembly Session Disrupted, Court Steps In

Earlier, a session of the K-P Assembly was called to swear in the members, but it was adjourned due to a lack of quorum after it was challenged by ruling party lawmakers. Speaker Babar Saleem Swati postponed the session until July 24 at 2 PM, prompting opposition parties to file an urgent petition in PHC.

The court directed Governor Kundi to administer the oath in place of the speaker to uphold the elected members’ constitutional rights.

Reserved Seat Members Sworn In

The 25 lawmakers sworn in include:

• JUI: 7 women, 2 minority members
• PML-N: 7 women, 1 minority member
• PPP: 4 women, 1 minority member
• ANP: 2 women
• PTI-P: 1 woman

Governor Slams PTI for Blocking Oath-Taking

Speaking after the ceremony, Governor Kundi strongly condemned PTI’s role in obstructing the oath-taking, calling it a “shameful and unconstitutional act.”

“Preventing elected representatives from taking their oath is disgraceful. We thank PHC for ensuring democracy prevails,” he said, reaffirming his commitment to protecting democratic norms in the province.

Senate Elections in K-P Rescheduled

Following PHC’s orders, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced a revised polling time for the Senate elections in K-P. Voting will now begin at 11:00 AM instead of 9:00 AM on July 21, for seven general seats, two women seats, and two technocrat/ulema seats.