ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Tuesday expressed his party's expectation that the judiciary will allocate reserved seats according to the law.
Interacting with media on the Supreme Court premises, Gohar underscored that Article 51 stipulated any political party could receive reserved seats proportionate to the general seats it won.
Despite this provision, 67 seats reserved for women and 11 for minorities were not allocated to PTI-SIC [alliance], he noted.
Gohar pointed out that Hamid Raza's nomination paper clearly stated Sunni Ittehad Council, but the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) listed him as an independent due to PTI's alliance with SIC.
He explained that the PTI had submitted nomination papers for all its candidates in December 2023 under stringent conditions, awarding tickets to 828 candidates across 859 constituencies.
Gohar stated that successful PTI-backed candidates later joined Sunni Ittehad Council under an alliance. "We submitted a 780-page document to the ECP, which they accepted. It was our right to receive reserved seats, but we were denied."
He expressed hope for a Supreme Court decision within two to three days, placing trust in the 13 apex court judges.
Gohar mentioned the Senate election in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was stalled due to this issue. "Today, the Senate remains incomplete as elections have yet to be held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa."
Expressing similar views, PTI leader Salman Akram Raja criticised attempts to undermine public sentiment, urging the court to swiftly decide on PTI's rights.
PTI leader Kanwal Shauzab, representing PTI women workers, expressed optimism about securing reserved seats for women.
Sunni Ittehad Council's Sahibzada Hamid Raza asserted their democratic right to protest.
Addressing the judges, he emphasised the Election Commission's alleged mistreatment and expressed confidence in a favourable outcome following their adherence to PTI founder Imran Khan's guidance.