PESHAWAR:
In a major show of unity, opposition parties in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have decided to field a consensus candidate for the province’s only vacant Senate seat.
The decision was taken during a consultative meeting convened by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa at Mufti Mahmood Markaz in Peshawar. The meeting, chaired by JUI central leader Maulana Ataur Rehman, was attended by senior representatives of multiple opposition parties.
Among the participants were JUI leaders Maulana Ataul Haq Darvesh, Haji Dilawar Khan, Maulana Abdul Haseeb Haqqani and Israr Ahmed; Syed Ayub Shah, Pakistan People’s Party; Hussain Shah and Nisar Baz Mohmand of the Awami National Party; Murtaza Abbasi and Malik Zarwar Khan of the PML-N; and Habib Ali Shah, Arif Mohmand and Arbab Wasim of PTI MPs.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Maulana Ataul Haq Darvesh said that the parties held detailed consultations on fielding a joint candidate for the Senate by-elections. All attendees agreed that since the opposition parties are already united on a single platform in the provincial assembly, they should take a similar coordinated approach for the Senate seat.
The meeting resolved that the name of the joint candidate would be announced within the next two days, after consultations with the parliamentary parties and the provincial leaders of the respective groups.
The development comes as the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly prepares for by-elections to fill the vacant general seat in the upper house of parliament.
