PTI-backed Mashal Yousafzai wins Senate by-poll from KP

PESHAWAR: Mashal Yousafzai, backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has been elected to the Senate from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a closely watched by-election.

The seat had fallen vacant following the resignation of Senator Dr Sania Nishtar.

According to the results issued by the returning officer, Yousafzai secured 86 votes in the KP Assembly, while opposition-backed candidate Mehtab Zafar received 53. Independent candidate Saima Khalid managed just one vote.

To win the seat, a candidate needed at least 73 votes from the 145-member house.

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The by-election, held on a women’s reserved seat, saw a three-way contest after JUI-F’s Shazia and PML-N’s Sobia Shahid withdrew from the race, leaving Mashal Yousafzai, Mehtab Zafar, and Saima Khalid in contention.

Initially, there were speculations that Yousafzai could face an uphill battle as Mehtab Zafar had become the joint candidate of the opposition alliance.

Adding to the complexity, Saima Khalid, also backed by PTI, had filed nomination papers independently.

Polling day also saw political manoeuvring behind the scenes, with KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur reportedly meeting opposition leader Dr Ibadullah Khan, who, however, refused to withdraw the opposition’s candidate.

Earlier in the day, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Faisalabad delivered verdicts in four cases linked to the events of May 9, sentencing 108 individuals and acquitting 77 others.

Several leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, and Zartaj Gul, were each handed 10-year prison sentences. Among those sentenced is also Member of Punjab Assembly (MPA) Junaid Afzal Sahi, who received a prison term of three years.

The court also sentenced MNA Sahibzada Hamid Raza and Sheikh Rashid Shafiq to 10 years in prison.

The court acquitted multiple political figures, including former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, Zain Qureshi, and Khayal Ahmad Kastro.

In total 77 people were acquitted, including Faizullah Kamuka, Malik Jahan Zeb, Rana Asad Mahmood, Khurram Ijaz Kahlon, Bilal Ashraf Basra, Haroon Rashid Amara Rashid Nazia, Sardar Ehtesham, Javed Sahibzada, Hassan Raza Hassan, Zakat Niazi, Makhdoom Zain Hussain Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry, Abdul Haseeb Tipu, Rana Munir Khalid Shafiq, Najmul Hassan, Rana Ali Gias, and Shiraz Hussain Milli.

The verdicts were delivered following months of proceedings related to unrest and damage caused during the incidents on May 9.