PESHAWAR: Khurram Zeeshan, an independent candidate backed by PTI, was elected as a senator on the general seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday.
This seat became vacant after PTI leader Shibli Faraz, the former opposition leader in the Senate, was disqualified due to his conviction in cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots.
To secure the position, a minimum of 75 votes was required.
Zeeshan won with a total of 91 votes out of the 137 cast by lawmakers in KP during the polling process. His main rival, opposition-backed Taj Mohammad Afridi, managed to obtain 45 votes.
While three candidates were in the running for the polls, the primary contest was between Zeeshan and Afridi. Irfan Saleem, another PTI-backed candidate, served as Zeeshan’s covering candidate in the election.
Out of the 145 members of the KP Assembly, four from the Awami National Party (ANP) abstained from the voting process.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi participated in the vote and expressed his support for Zeeshan via a post shared on his X account.
