PTI fields Bushra Bibi’s driver as covering candidate for KP Senate seat

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has nominated Ghulam Badshah, the driver of Bushra Bibi, as a covering candidate for the vacant Senate seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sources said on Tuesday.

The seat fell vacant following the disqualification of former senator Murad Saeed last month after his conviction in a May 9 case linked to violent protests in 2023. Saeed was sentenced to 10 years in prison by an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi, resulting in his disqualification under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution.

PTI has awarded its main ticket to Irfan Saleem, while Badshah and Sajjad Mohmand have been named as covering candidates, according to party sources. Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas had initially proposed Akhundzada Hussain Yousafzai, but PTI’s parliamentary board rejected his nomination.

Sources said PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and leader Salman Akram Raja had agreed to include Yousafzai as a covering candidate. However, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi intervened, ensuring the inclusion of Badshah instead. Some party leaders expressed reservations over naming Bushra Bibi’s driver as a covering candidate.

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The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued the election schedule for the seat, with polling set for April 23 at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. The last date for scrutiny of nomination papers is April 10, appeals can be filed until April 13, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 17.

The KP Assembly polling will take place from 9am to 4pm, as PTI prepares for a closely watched by-election amid internal debates over candidate selection.