KP MPAs-elect on special seats take to streets for oath-taking

MPAs-elects from PMLN, PPP and JUIF gathered outside the Peshawar Press Club

By Riffatullah

April 06, 2024

Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) takes oath during the first session of the Provincial Assembly, at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in Peshawar on February 28, 2024. — PPI

PESHAWAR: The opposition members elected to KP Assembly on reserved seats for women and non-Muslims on Friday staged a protest against the provincial government for hampering their oath-taking.

Joined by other lawmakers, the MPAs-elect from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) gathered outside the Peshawar Press Club.

They carried placards inscribed with slogans that flayed the KP government for violating the constitution and court orders by not allowing them to take oaths.

Speaking to the media, the protesting MPAs-elect said that the KP government led by the Sunni Ittehad Council-supported independently elected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf members was doing a grave injustice to the people by refusing to make arrangements for their oath taking.

Sobia Shahid of PMLN, Shazia Tehmas of PPP and others said the KP government was violating the directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Peshawar High Courts and the governor by denying them the right to oath.

The protesters said that they would continue the protest outside the Press Club till their demand was accepted.

It is worth mentioning that the ECP had notified 25 MPAs as elected to the KP Assembly on seats reserved for women and minorities. As many as 21 of them were elected on seats reserved for women and four on minorities seats.

The SIC had tried to claim the seats after the general elections but the ECP turned down the request and allotted these seats to the different opposition parties in accordance with their presence in the assembly.

The SIC moved the Peshawar High Court (PHC) against the ECP decision but the court upheld the electoral watchdog decision.

Governor Ghulam Ali convened the KP Assembly session, asking the Speaker Babar Saleem Swati to administer oath to the MPAs-elect. However, the KP government refused to hold the session.

The opposition moved the PHC which summoned the KP Assembly speaker and other officials in the case.