PPP leaders discuss formulating ‘joint strategy’ with JUI-F for Senate polls

In a significant political development, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders held a meeting with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence to woo the latter ahead of Senate polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The meeting, which was attended by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi as well, focused on formulating a “joint strategy” for the upcoming Senate elections, PTV News reported.

Prominent political figures who attended the meeting included former KP chief minister Akram Khan Durrani, senior PPP leader and former federal minister Khurshid Shah, Syed Tahir Ali Shah, former federal minister Maulana Asad Mehmood, former deputy speaker Zahid Akram Durrani, JUI-F KP leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman, and Sahibzada Asjad Mehmood.

In a key development, the ECP has issued notifications for seven general seats, two women’s reserved seats, and two seats reserved for technocrats/Ulema in the Senate for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Polling for these seats are set to be held in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly’s building on July 21, 2025.

It is noteworthy that the ECP had previously postponed the elections scheduled for April 2, 2024, due to the speaker’s refusal to administer oaths to the provincial members elected on reserved seats and over incomplete electoral college.

Furthermore, the ECP has released a detailed programme for elections to fill the seat vacated by Sania Nishter in the Senate. According to the schedule, public notices were issued on July 9, nomination papers were submitted on July 10 and 11. The scrutiny of nomination papers is slated for July 16, and the polling will take place on July 31 for this seat.

Meanwhile, the meeting between PPP and JUI-F leaders also mulled over the overall political landscape, deteriorating law and order in the province, corruption concerns, and issues related to provincial rights and the sense of deprivation among residents of the merged tribal districts.

The leaders discussed the prevailing political and administrative challenges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly focusing on the need for political cooperation to tackle governance issues and strengthen democratic processes in the province.