ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Information, Barrister Muhammad Saif, has called on JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to exhibit “moral courage” by refusing to accept the reserved seats recently allocated to his party by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
“If the opposition parties have even a shred of moral integrity, they should reject the reserved seats that rightfully belong to PTI but have been unfairly redistributed,” Saif said, adding, “Fazlur Rehman should take a principled stand, just like ANP’s Amir Haider Hoti, who has already refused to accept these seats.”
Saif’s remarks follow the Supreme Court’s June 27 ruling, which upheld PTI’s ineligibility for reserved seats. The ECP subsequently restored five women’s reserved seats in the National Assembly from KP and reallocated 21 women’s reserved seats in the KP Assembly—with eight going to JUI-F, six to PML-N, and five to the PPP.
In light of this reallocation, the ECP has also revised the schedule for Senate elections in KP, setting July 21 as the new date for polling.
Beyond the Senate race, the distribution of reserved seats has significant implications for the Ali Amin Gandapur-led KP government, which now faces the looming threat of a no-confidence motion. With the opposition now just 20 seats shy of a majority in the 145-member assembly (currently with 115 elected members), any further shift could upend the provincial power balance.
Breaking down the numbers, the JUI-F, which initially had seven elected members, now holds 19 seats after receiving 10 women’s seats and two minority seats. The PML-N rose from six to 15 seats, while the PPP grew from four to 11, thanks to the addition of six women’s and one minority seat.
Saif further accused Maulana Fazlur Rehman of political opportunism, recalling his past actions: “Maulana Fazl turned his back on PTI during the 26th Constitutional Amendment as well,” he said. “First, PTI’s mandate was stolen using Form 47, and now the reserved seats are being unfairly distributed among other parties.”
