On July 20, 2025, Ikhtiar Wali Khan, the Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information, Broadcasting, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs, issued a scathing condemnation of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly’s refusal to administer oaths to members elected on reserved seats, labeling the move a “constitutional mockery.”

Khan, a prominent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former KP Assembly member, described the refusal as a deliberate act of “political thuggery.” He stated, “The moustached regime has made the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly a constitutional farce today. By preventing the swearing-in of successful candidates on reserved seats, PTI has once again proven itself an enemy of democratic values.”

The controversy centers on the KP Assembly’s delay in administering oaths to elected members on reserved seats, which are allocated to parties based on their proportional representation in the assembly. Khan alleged that this delay is a strategic move by PTI to disrupt the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) schedule for the Senate elections, expected to take place in the coming months.

“Today’s refusal to administer oaths is a clear attempt by PTI to manipulate the Senate elections,” he said, claiming that the party is resorting to such tactics due to internal disarray. He noted that “their own members have deserted the party, aren’t withdrawing their nominations, and now they are venting their frustration on other political forces.”

Khan further argued that the refusal to swear in elected members is not merely a procedural issue but a direct attack on the democratic process. “Depriving parties like the PML-N and others of their constitutional rights is tantamount not only to sabotaging the Senate process but also to robbing the people’s mandate,” he stated, calling the move a “slap in the face of democracy.”

Khan called on both the ECP and the Supreme Court to take immediate action to restore the constitutional process, urging them to ensure that elected members can assume their roles without further delay. “Restoring the rule of law and maintaining democratic order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must now be treated as a national priority,” he emphasized.