Opposition walks out over re-swearing of reserved-seat members in KP Assembly

\The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly witnessed a walkout on Monday after opposition lawmakers refused to retake their oaths for reserved seats, rejecting the Assembly Secretariat’s schedule for re-swearing 25 newly elected members.

Government members argued that it is the constitutional duty of the Speaker to administer the oath and maintained that the oath earlier taken by the Governor on July 20 was unconstitutional.

“The Speaker never said he would not take the oath,” treasury members asserted, insisting the previous oath carried no legal standing.

However, the opposition strongly contested the move. Leader of the Opposition Dr. Ibadullah said there was no justification for retaking the oath when members had already been sworn in on July 20 at the Governor House.

He pointed out that Governor Faisal Karim Kundi had administered the oath under orders of the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court, citing Article 255 of the Constitution, inserted through the 26th Amendment, as the legal basis.

On July 20, Governor Kundi administered oaths to 25 lawmakers elected on reserved seats for women and minorities in a ceremony held at Governor House, Peshawar.