Polling is underway for the Senate by election on the seat vacated after the disqualification of PTI leader Shibli Faraz. Three candidates are contesting PTI’s Khurram Zeeshan and Irfan Saleem, and opposition candidate Taj Muhammad Afridi.
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi faced a traffic jam on his way to the provincial assembly and decided to walk the rest of the way, greeting commuters and supporters as he moved toward the polling station.
After casting his vote, Afridi spoke to reporters, announcing his plan to visit Adiala Jail to meet PTI founder Imran Khan. Expressing confidence in his party’s strength, he said, “None of our MPAs have defected from the speaker’s election to my own selection, PTI has stood united.”
He criticized the federal government for sidelining Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in national matters, particularly Pakistan-Afghanistan talks. “We are a key stakeholder, yet decisions about our province are made without consultation,” he remarked.
Former Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also participated in the polling process and cast his vote. Voting started at 9 a.m. and will continue until 4 p.m., supervised by Provincial Election Commissioner Saeed Gul, who is serving as the Returning Officer.
Earlier, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition by Shibli Faraz seeking to delay the by-election, stating that it would not interfere in the electoral process. Faraz and PTI leader Omar Ayub had been sentenced to 10 years in prison each by an anti-terrorism court for their alleged involvement in the May 9, 2023 riots following Imran Khan’s arrest.
Following their conviction, the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified nine PTI lawmakers, including Faraz and Ayub. Their appeals in the Peshawar High Court were rejected as “non-maintainable” since they had not surrendered before the court, prompting them to move the Supreme Court.
