PTI's Mishal Yousafzai wins KP Senate by-election seat

Government-backed independent candidate Mishal Yousafzai secured victory in the Senate by-election held on Wednesday for a vacant seat in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

The seat fell vacant after the resignation of Senator Sania Nishtar. In the ensuing by-poll, Yousafzai received 86 votes, defeating opposition-supported independent candidate Mehtab Zafar, who garnered 53 votes. A third independent candidate, Saima Khalid, managed to secure only one vote.

Following the vote count, the returning officer issued Form 58, officially confirming Mishal Yousafzai’s win.

Yousafzai, reportedly backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was among three candidates contesting the by-election. The opposition had nominated Mehtab Zafar as a consensus candidate, while Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl's Shazia and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's Saobia Shahid had withdrawn their candidatures earlier.

Before the polling, a meeting was held between Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and opposition leader Abbaduallah, in which Gandapur reportedly attempted to persuade the opposition to withdraw its candidate. However, Abbaduallah declined to do so.