CM Gandapur fails to woo party dissidents on Senate tickets
Pakistan
The rebel candidates stand their ground
PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – The first round of talks between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and the disgruntled Senate candidates has ended in a failure.
A second round is expected to take place later tonight, sources said.
According to party insiders, the government offered the unhappy candidates a deal to step down from their nominations, but the proposal was turned down flat.
Senior political figures Salman Akram Raja and Shaukat Basra were also present during the sit-down.
Read also: Consensus nears on senate polls in KP as govt, opposition discuss 6/5 formula
The rebel candidates stood their ground, saying they would only consider withdrawing if JUI-F and PPP give up one seat each. They suggested JUI-F vacate either a general or technocrat seat, while PPP should surrender a general or women’s seat.
"Our stance is clear," said one of the disgruntled candidates. "Why should party seats be handed over to the opposition on a silver platter?"
