Sikh leader elected to KPK assembly on reserved seat allocated to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam

A Sikh religious leader has been elected as a member of Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on a minority seat allocated to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), the provincial election commission announced on Thursday.

Gurpal Singh, the JUI-F nominee, was elected unopposed to the seat reserved for minorities, marking a significant milestone for the minority Sikh community. He hails from the Malik Deen Khel tribe in Bara, Khyber district.

Shahida Waheed of the Awami National Party was elected through a draw on a reserved seat for women in the provincial assembly.

The process for the draw was conducted on the Election Commission of Pakistan’s directive for the allocation of one reserved minority seat between the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and JUI-F, and one reserved women’s seat between ANP and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers.

During the proceedings, the PML-N delegation formally withdrew its candidate, Gorsaran Lal, in favour of JUI-F nominee Singh.

As a result, the reserved minority seat was awarded to JUI-F, giving them an additional seat in the provincial assembly.

Similarly, a draw was held between ANP and PTI for the allocation of a reserved seat for women. According to the results, Shahida was declared successful.

The seats reserved for women and minorities are proportionally awarded to the political parties on the basis of their numerical strength in the assemblies.

The ECP on Tuesday announced its decision regarding the allocation of reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly.

Jailed former premier Imran Khan’s party had formed the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following last year’s elections.

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