The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has issued a directive to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker, Babar Saleem Swati, instructing him to administer the oath to lawmakers elected on reserved seats.
This decision comes following a ruling by a two-member PHC bench, consisting of Justice Attique Shah and Justice Shakeel Ahmad, who had reserved the verdict earlier in response to a petition filed by opposition parties within the provincial assembly.
The controversy surrounding oath-taking on reserved seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has intensified due to a deadlock between the provincial government and opposition factions. The government has expressed objections to the KP governor’s decision to convene the assembly session upon the opposition’s request.
Opposition parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), approached the PHC on Monday, urging prompt oath-taking of members, citing their need to participate in the upcoming Senate elections.
This issue holds significant importance for both the ruling and opposition parties, particularly with the Senate polls scheduled for April 2, aiming to fill 11 seats from the province. The Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), holding a clear majority in the assembly, is seeking to delay the oath-taking, potentially until after the Senate polls. This move could benefit the ruling party, which currently holds the majority in the assembly and stands to secure most Senate seats from the province.
Conversely, opposition parties advocate for the immediate administration of oath to the 24 MPAs elected on reserved seats to bolster their chances of securing desired representation in the upper house of parliament.
