PTI loses maverick election bid at Inter-Parliamentary Union

ISLAMABAD: The PTI’s independent bid to secure a seat at a global parliamentary forum fell flat as its candidate, Senator Ali Zafar, managed to secure just 12 votes out of 152 member states in an election for the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) Commi­ttee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians.

The vote, held during the IPU conference in Turkiye from April 15 to 19, saw Zafar contesting the seat without backing from the official Pakistani delegation. While Pakistan’s delegation, led by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and including Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Senator Talha Mehmood, was present at the conference, Zafar’s solo bid failed to gather traction among the 152 member states. It was believed that had Zafar secured the seat, the PTI could have given the government a tougher time, particularly regarding Imran Khan’s imprisonment.

Sources said that member states accorded unprecedented weight to the Pakistani delegation due to its diplomatic role in mediating between the US and Iran. However, Zafar, not being the candidate of the government of Pakistan but that of an opposition party, failed to secure substantial support.

Senator Ali Zafar secures 12 out of 152 member states’ votes in IPU polls

When contacted, Zafar confirmed that he had not won the seat. “Yes, I had filed my application as a candidate, but I thought the seat was specifically for Pakistan,” he told Dawn.

He said he was unaware that the election would be contested among multiple states. “I did not attend the IPU conference, but I heard that the seat was awarded to Thailand,” he added.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2026