PESHAWAR, Jul 18 (APP): The political atmosphere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has turned tense as internal discord within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) intensifies ahead of the Senate elections.
A group of disgruntled PTI candidates has flatly refused to withdraw their nominations in support of a proposed consensus between the government and the opposition.
The breakdown of talks between these dissident candidates and Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has led to growing frustration within party ranks, with PTI workers now threatening to stage a protest outside the Chief Minister House.
The deadlock emerged after PTI Senate hopefuls—namely Irfan Saleem, Ayesha Bano, Khurram Zeeshan, Irshad Hussain, and Waqas Orakzai strongly opposed the government’s plan to finalize unopposed Senate candidates through a mutual agreement with opposition parties.
These candidates declared the agreement a betrayal of PTI’s ideological principles and refused to step aside, resulting in growing uncertainty around the Senate polls.
According to sources, the proposed formula was designed to ensure that candidates from both the ruling coalition and the opposition could be elected unopposed, thereby avoiding a contest.
Chief Minister Gandapur had even recorded a video statement outlining the agreement. However, the release of this message was halted once it became clear that internal dissent would prevent its implementation.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), a key opposition party in the province, confirmed that negotiations had taken place with CM Gandapur.
JUI-F’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa General Secretary Maulana Atta-ul-Haq Dervish stated that a consensus had been reached between the government and opposition parties to allow a smooth, unopposed Senate election.
However, the deal’s official announcement was conditioned upon the withdrawal of PTI’s additional or covering candidates—a demand that remains unmet due to the defiance of dissident PTI members.
A group of rebellious PTI candidates had already conveyed their reservations to KP CM. The meeting, which included mediation efforts by senior party figures Taimur Jhagra and Shaukat Basra, as well as legal counsel Salman Akram Raja, failed to yield a compromise.
The candidates categorically refused to back down and put forward their own conditions. They demanded that the JUI-F and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) each withdraw one Senate candidate to make space for PTI loyalists.
They argued that JUI-F had fielded two candidates, one for a technocrat seat and another for a general seat, while PPP had candidates contesting both a general and a women’s seat. The dissidents insisted that both opposition parties step aside on at least one seat each if the spirit of compromise was to be honored.
In response to the ongoing stalemate, a second round of negotiations is expected later Friday night in a last-ditch effort to salvage the consensus agreement.
The tentative list of unopposed candidates from both sides has already been drawn up. From the opposition, Talha Mahmood, Atta-ul-Haq Dervish, Rubina Khalid, Dilawar Khan, and Niaz Ahmad were expected to secure seats.
On the PTI side, names put forward included Murad Saeed, Faisal Javed, Mirza Muhammad Afridi, Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Azam Swati, and Rubina Naz. However, with several PTI alternate candidates refusing to withdraw, the official announcement remains on hold.
Meanwhile, tensions have spilled into public view as PTI workers voice their outrage. Former PTI Peshawar city president Rahman Jalal held a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club here, calling out the party leadership for sidelining veteran party loyalists.
Jalal particularly defended Irfan Saleem, highlighting his 23 years of service to PTI and his role in building the party from the grassroots level.
He accused internal powerbrokers of manipulating the candidate list to favor individuals with questionable loyalties and criticized the omission of committed workers like Saleem.
Rahman Jalal issued a stern warning, stating that PTI workers would not remain silent and would soon march to the Chief Minister House if the leadership failed to revisit the Senate candidate list.
As internal discord festers and pressure mounts from the grassroots, the PTI leadership now faces a critical challenge: either find a way to reconcile with its core workers or risk further fragmentation at a time when unity is crucial ahead of key national political battles.