Peshawar – A major political shift appears imminent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as Sources reveal that independent members of the provincial assembly, previously affiliated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have initiated contact with key opposition figures to explore the possibility of forming a new government.
According to political sources, the independent lawmakers have reportedly reached out to Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam (F) Maulana Fazal Rehman, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Engineer Amir Muqam, and Federal Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi to discuss options for a new provincial setup.
Current Numbers in KP Assembly
The KP Assembly comprises 145 seats, with the current PTI-backed government under Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur commanding support from 93 members. This includes 58 PTI members and 35 independents who were elected on PTI tickets but are not officially part of the party due to intra-party issues.
The breakdown of the assembly is as follows:
PTI Members: 58
PTI-affiliated Independents: 35
Opposition Members: 27 (including 9 each from PML-N and JUI-F, 5 from PPP, and 2 each from ANP and PTI Parliamentarians)
An additional 25 seats are currently vacant, comprising 21 reserved for women and 4 for minorities.These seats are expected to be filled by the opposition, potentially raising their total strength to 52 members.
The role of Independents
The 35 independent lawmakers have emerged as the decisive factor in the power struggle.If they continue to support the PTI-backed government, Ali Amin Gandapur will retain a simple majority in the assembly. However, if they defect to the opposition, the ruling coalition’s numbers will drop to just 58, ending its majority.
Should the independents side with the opposition, the opposition bloc’s total strength could rise to 87 members, comfortably surpassing the 73 Members simple majority threshold and enabling them to form a new government.
Notably, legal experts point out that Article 63(A), which prohibits floor crossing, does not apply to these 35 independents, as they are not officially affiliated with any political party.This allows them to align freely with any bloc in the assembly.
Key Independent Lawmakers
Some of the prominent independent members currently under focus include:
Meena Khan, Sher Ali Afridi, Muhammad Sohail Afridi, and Muhammad Adnan Qadri (Peshawar and Khyber)
Khaleeq-ur-Rehman (Nowshera), Ranjab Ali Abbasi (Abbottabad), Rangeez Khan (Swabi), Aurangzeb Khan (Orakzai), and others
Amjad Ali (Swat), Fazal Hakim (Swat), Abdul Munim (Shangla), Deputy Speaker Surayya Bibi (Chitral), Abdul Kabir Khan (Buner), and Ajmal Khan (Bajaur).
Conclusion
With mounting political maneuvering behind the scenes, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could be headed for a governmental shake-up. The fate of Chief Minister Gandapur’s administration now hinges on whether the 35 key independents maintain their current alliance or decide to tilt the balance of power in favor of the opposition.
