Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Khurram Zeeshan secured the Senate seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday, defeating opposition candidate Taj Muhammad Afridi, according to unofficial results.
The seat became vacant after PTI leader Shibli Faraz, the former opposition leader in the Senate, was disqualified following his conviction in cases linked to the May 9, 2023, riots. A candidate needed a minimum of 75 votes to win.
Zeeshan received 91 votes out of 137 cast by KP lawmakers, while Afridi secured 45 votes. Expressing his gratitude, Zeeshan posted on Facebook, “Thank God.”
Although three candidates were on the ballot, the race was primarily expected to be between Zeeshan and Afridi. Irfan Saleem, another PTI-backed candidate, was listed as the covering candidate for Zeeshan.
Of the 145-member KP Assembly, four Awami National Party (ANP) lawmakers abstained from voting. KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi participated in the polling and expressed his support for Zeeshan in a post on his X account.
