PTI, Opposition Seal Unopposed KP Senate Vote, Split Seats 6-5

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the opposition have agreed to hold the province’s 21 July Senate elections without contest, dividing the 11 seats on offer into six for PTI and five for the opposition alliance. Leaders of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz confirmed they had reached a consensus on the formula. The power-sharing understanding follows fresh notifications from the Election Commission of Pakistan, which trimmed one reserved seat each from JUI-F and PPP and awarded one to PML-N. The adjustment leaves JUI-F and PML-N with 17 seats apiece and PPP with 10 in the 125-member KP Assembly; PTI-backed lawmakers retain 92 seats. Once the newly notified members take oath, the PML-N-led opposition bloc will command 33 members in the provincial house. With JUI-F’s 16 votes, the alliance could still mount a bid for up to four Senate slots despite the agreed overall allocation. Inside PTI, however, selection of Senate nominees has triggered protests from long-serving activists who say loyalists were bypassed in favour of wealthier candidates. The rift has no immediate bearing on the unopposed election plan but underscores internal strains as the party seeks to safeguard its majority in the upper house.