PTI warns governor's rule may stall KP's 12 Senate seats

Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's 12 Senate seats may not be filled on time, because the provincial assembly has been unable to function since governor's rule was imposed on October 11 and the next Senate elections are due in March 2027.

Speaking to Minute Mirror, Gohar said the continuation of emergency rule and governor's rule until March could stop the province from holding elections for its seats in the upper house. He said it would be the second consecutive occasion on which Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were not held on schedule, after the 2024 polls were not held in the province because of a dispute over the allocation of reserved seats.

The six-year terms of 48 senators expire in March 2027. Twelve of those seats are filled by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. Under the normal procedure, provincial assemblies elect their senators by proportional representation through a single transferable vote.

Article 234 of the Constitution allows parliament to exercise the powers of a provincial assembly while a proclamation of emergency is in force. Minute Mirror reported that the legal effect of applying that provision to Senate elections under governor's rule remains unclear and needs further clarification.

The Constitution also sets a six-month limit on a proclamation issued under Article 234. Governor's rule was imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 11, 2026, while the Senate elections are scheduled for March 2027.

The PTI holds a majority in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, while the PML-N, the PPP and their allies hold a majority in parliament, an arithmetic that gives the timing of the province's Senate elections weight beyond the province itself.

According to Minute Mirror, the Election Commission of Pakistan's position on holding Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the current arrangement will be central to how the process proceeds if the assembly stays inactive. Any change in the composition of the house could also affect the election of the Senate chairman and deputy chairman, who are chosen by the senators.

Separately, The News International reported that the PTI said the whereabouts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister have been unknown since governor's rule was imposed. The report gave no further details.

The open question is whether the provincial assembly resumes its normal functions before March, or whether Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's 12 Senate seats stay unfilled until a legally valid electoral process becomes possible.