Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Senate Elections: Talks Between CM Ali Amin Gandapur and Dissident Candidates Fail Again

Peshawar:A second round of negotiations between the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, and the dissident candidates regarding the upcoming Senate elections has ended in failure.

The dissident leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held two significant meetings with CM Gandapur to discuss issues related to the Senate elections. However, no agreement was reached on the matter.

The meetings included PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Salman Akram Raja, while the disgruntled candidates present were Irfan Saleem, Khurram Zeeshan, and Ayesha Bano.

After the meeting, PTI Peshawar President Irfan Saleem told **Geo News** that the Chief Minister requested the party’s candidates to withdraw from the Senate elections. However, the dissidents refused to agree to this request.

Irfan Saleem stated, “We will not withdraw from the Senate elections under any circumstances. Now, the matter has been referred to the party’s political committee, which will make the final decision.”

Meanwhile, differences within PTI’s central leadership regarding the Senate elections have also surfaced. According to sources, Salman Akram Raja, Atif Khan, Sher Ali Arbab, and Junaid Akbar are supporting the dissident leaders, while Ali Amin Gandapur stands firm on conducting the elections uncontested and supporting the current PTI candidates.

It is important to note that a significant development occurred late last night between the government and the opposition regarding uncontested Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Sources revealed that a final agreement was reached during a meeting between CM Ali Amin Gandapur and opposition leaders. The meeting led to consensus on a 5/6 formula, under which PTI would secure 6 seats and the opposition 5 seats. The remaining candidates from both sides would withdraw.