PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi formally asked the chief minister on Tuesday to immediately call a session of the provincial assembly for the swearing-in of the returned candidates notified by the Election Commission of Pakistan for the seats reserved for women and non-Muslims.

The governor called for the early assembly session in a letter to Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur a day after receiving a communication from the Election Commission of Pakistan on the matter.

In the letter, which was also sent to the chief minister, the ECP had said that the assembly’s session should be convened immediately so that the MPAs elected on reserved seats for women and non-Muslims could take oath.

“We’re obligated to conduct the Senate elections in the province on July 21, but the matter of administration of oaths [to lawmakers returned on reserved seats] is still pending and delayed,” it noted.

ECP to hold Senate polls in province on July 21

In the letter to the CM, the governor said in light of the ECP’s letter about the administration of oath to the new lawmakers of reserved seats decided by the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court, a case for convening the assembly session for the swearing-in was required to be submitted to him.

“In accordance with Rules 36(1)(a) read with Schedule-V of the KP Government Rules of Business, 1985, the case for summoning of provincial assembly is required to be submitted to the governor through the chief minister. It is requested that necessary measures may be taken so as to summon a session of the provincial assembly under Article 109(a) of the Constitution immediately, in order to censure compliance of the directives of the ECP as well as of the Supreme Court in letter and spirit,” noted the governor in the letter.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the KP Assembly Dr Ibadullah told a news conference here that the provincial government didn’t obey the directives of the ECP, the Peshawar High Court and the Supreme Court regarding the convening of the session of the provincial assembly for the swearing-in of members notified for reserved seats.

He pointed out that the law and order situation in the province was fast worsening but the PTI’s government in the province was busy with negative politicking, having no concern about the growing terrorist activities.

The opposition leader also criticised the chief minister for visiting Lahore to participate in the PTI’s meeting but not sparing time to condole with the family of Daska over deaths of members in the Swat River floods.

He alleged that the chief minister and his advisor on information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif were using the provincial government’s helicopter like a rickshaw, but it was not available to rescue the picnickers stranded in the flooded Swat River.

Dr Ibadullah said the probe by the chief minister’s inspection team into Swat deaths exposed the incompetence of several departments and it was actually “a charge sheet against the provincial government.”

He alleged that the PTI leaders were the facilitators of terrorists as they brought terrorists back to the country during their party’s last government in the Centre, advocated for the opening of their offices in the country, and declared al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden a “martyr.”

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2025