CM Sohail Afridi reaches assembly on foot after getting stuck in traffic, casts his vote confidently.
Polling Begins Amid Tight Contest
PESHAWAR: Polling is underway for the Senate seat vacated following the disqualification of PTI leader Shibli Faraz, with three candidates in the running, Khurram Zeeshan and Irfan Saleem from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), and Taj Muhammad Afridi representing the opposition.
The election is being held at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, where voting commenced at 9:00 am and will continue until 4:00 pm.
CM Sohail Afridi Walks to Assembly to Cast Vote
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi faced traffic congestion on his way to the assembly but continued his journey on foot, greeting and shaking hands with commuters along the way.
After casting his ballot, Afridi told reporters that he would visit Adiala Jail later in the day to meet PTI founder Imran Khan.
Expressing confidence in his party’s unity, he stated:
“None of our MPAs have defected, from the speaker’s election to my own selection, PTI stands united.”
Afridi Criticises Federal Government
Speaking to the media, the KP Chief Minister criticised the federal government for excluding Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa from discussions on issues directly affecting the province.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a stakeholder in Pakistan-Afghanistan talks, yet we were not taken into confidence,” he said.
“Decisions about this province should not be made behind closed doors.”
Polling Supervised by Election Officials
The Provincial Election Commissioner, Saeed Gul, is serving as the Returning Officer for the by-election.
Other officials overseeing the polling process include:
- Joint Provincial Election Commissioner Muhammad Nadeem Khan
- Deputy Director Media Coordination Sohail Ahmed
- Deputy Director Elections Fahad Ali Shah
- Deputy Director Law Muhammad Amjad
The polling process has remained orderly and peaceful, according to election officials.
Supreme Court Refuses to Delay Polling
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan dismissed a plea filed by Shibli Faraz seeking to suspend the by-election, ruling that it would not interfere in the electoral process.
Earlier, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Faisalabad had sentenced Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub to ten years imprisonment each in cases linked to the May 9, 2023, riots.
Following their convictions, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified nine PTI lawmakers, including both Faraz and Ayub, who were serving as opposition leaders in the Senate and National Assembly respectively.
Their petitions challenging disqualification were dismissed by the Peshawar High Court as “non-maintainable,” prompting appeals to the Supreme Court.