Speaker violated constitution, no-confidence may be next: Kundi

PESHAWAR: Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Sunday said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Speaker Babar Saleem Khan Swati violated by adjourning the session by taking oath from the newly-elected lawmakers despite the court orders.

He also again mentioned the possibility of bringing a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur [or the speaker] in the next phase even if they had a one-vote majority.

On the other hand, a Governor’s House spokesperson said Kundi would take oath from the members elected on reserved seats at 6pm on Sunday.

It is not the first time that Kundi has talked the no-confidence motion as he describes this a democratic right of opposition.

The comments as the speaker earlier in the day didn’t take oath from the opposition members elected on the reserved seats after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) notified them.

As the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly is scheduled to elect 11 Senate members on Monday (July 21), the session was summoned Sunday so that these MPA-elect could oath, which is mandatory to enable to them cast their votes.

Read more: KP Assembly to meet on 20th, minorities seat given to JUI-F

However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Speaker Swati adjourned the session until July 24 while citing quorum as an excuse in an attempt to derail the Senate polls, a possibility that was raised in this earlier report.

But the Peshawar High Court nominated the governor to take oath from these MPAs after they moved the provincial top court against the actions taken by Swati.

Meanwhile, Kundi mentioned that their current focus were the Senate polls, which would be held on time.

The governor also said that he would take oath from the members elected on reserved seats today (Sunday) or tomorrow (Monday).

Earlier, the opposition had fixed the number of five as the seats they would target in the July 21 Senate polls.

Read more: PML-N gets another seat, opposition zooms in on KP Senate polls

POLTICS IS UNPREDICTABLE

With the opposition talking about removing the PTI government through a no-confidence motion and Gandapur’s flamboyant style of political communication, one couldn’t have imagined the two coming together to develop consensus over an issue like Senate polls.

But it is what just happened on Saturday as sources claimed that the government and the opposition have agreed to ensure uncontested Senate elections under 6:5 formula to block the PTI dissidents.

However, the speaker’s aggressive move suggests that either Gandapur had to backtrack because of internal opposition or the he was just politicking.

Meanwhile, there is a strong possibility that it happed due to the first possibility, as Gandapur had been unable to make the PTI dissidents to withdraw their candidature in the Senate polls.

The party founded by now incarcerated Imran Khan is witnessing serious internal differences with multiple factions vying for power at both provincial and national levels.

Read more: Rifts deepen within PTI over KP senate elections

Previously, Gandapur tried to win over the support of all the party MPAs as well as to foil any attempt to back the opposition members by showering favours.

At the same time, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister is under fire over the announcement of a 90-day deadline to get Imran released, both some within the PTI and the opposition saying that it was attempt to save his government.

Read more: ‘Planned PTI movement an attempt to protect Gandapur govt’