Opposition enters final talks to unseat PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

• JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl also joins political discussions.
• Major opposition MPAs' moot being planned at Governor House.
• Opposition agrees in principle to contest Senate polls as joint bloc.
  

Opposition parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have entered the final phase of consultations to bring about a political shake-up in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-ruled province, sources confirmed on Sunday.

Governor KP Faisal Karim Kundi, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam, and Prime Minister’s Adviser on Interior Affairs Pervez Khattak held a series of informal meetings to explore options for ousting the PTI government.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman is also said to have joined the discussions, which took place informally — including one meeting at  Khattak’s residence, where political leaders had gathered to condole the death of his sister.

Sources said a follow-up meeting between Muqam and Kundi was held at the Governor House on Saturday.

The opposition is now preparing for a major huddle of KP's provincial lawmakers at the Governor House, where a coordinated strategy is expected to be finalised. 

Meanwhile, opposition leaders have agreed in principle to contest the upcoming Senate elections as a united front.

On Friday, Maulana Fazl said any political change in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should come from within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

“I’ve made my suggestion — there should be a change in the province,” he said at a press conference in Peshawar.

He added that his party would decide its course of action after internal consultation, stressing that the province could not afford more political instability.

On the Senate elections, Fazl said it was too early to offer remarks on any possible adjustments.

After the Supreme Court of Pakistan's June 27 verdict disqualifying PTI from reserved seats, the opposition alliance in KP is now just 20 members short of a simple majority in the provincial assembly.