ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – After a long haul which included incarceration of its founder Imran Khan and top leadership, forced defections after May 9 riots, denial of iconic 'bat' symbol, absence of a level playing field in Feb 8 polls and arbitrary manoeuvering of election results to stop it from coming into power, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) finally got a shot in the arm after the apex court tipped the scales in its favour by a majority 8-5 ruling on Friday.
The court granted reserved seats to the PTI, which were earlier given to other parties by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The Peshawar High Court (PHC) upheld the ECP decision.
On the dot, the number of the PTI lawmakers, including those who had earlier been declared PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) members, is 92 in National Assembly.
The SC verdict has paved the way for the PTI to get 22 reserved seats in the National Assembly, which were earlier given to three different parties by the ECP. The total tally of the PTI MNAs will become 114.
The Jamiat-Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) has 8 and PkMAP, BNP-M and MWM have one seat each, which means that the total strength of the opposition in the NA will now become 125.
This will also include eight members of the House who had not joined the SIC, including PTI chief Barrister Ali Gohar, Leader of the Opposition in NA Omar Ayub Khan and six other MNAs linked with the PTI.
The total number of the ruling coalition will be 209, short of 15 seats from 224, required to enjoy a two-thirds majority in the NA of 336.
The PML-N’s strength in the House has reduced to 108, with 84 MNAs elected on general seats, 20 on reserved seats for women and four on seats of minorities.
The PPP is currently standing at 68, of which 54 with general seats and 12 and two against reserved seats for women and minorities, respectively.
The MQM’s 21 members include 17 on general seats while the rest four are on reserved seats for women.
The PML-Q’s five seats include four general seats and one reserved seat for women.
Moreover, the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) has four seats in the House - three general and one reserved for women.
After the SC suspended the Peshawar High Court’s judgement depriving the PTI-backed SIC of reserved seats for women and minorities, the ECP had distributed 77 seats of the PTI in national and provincial assemblies among other parties.
The suspended lawmakers include 44 from the PML-N, 15 from the PPP, 13 from the JUI-F and one each from the PML-Q, IPP, PTI-P, MQM-P and ANP.
Meanwhile, the membership of 21 lawmakers elected on reserved seats for women in KP will be suspended, including eight from JUI-F, six from PML-N, five from PPP and one each from PTI-P and ANP.
Four members of the provincial assembly elected on reserved seats for minorities are now suspended, including two from JUI-F and one each from PML-N and PPP.
Moreover, 24 lawmakers from the Punjab Assembly, who had been elected on seats reserved for women, subsequently lost their seats, including 21 from the PML-N and one each from PPP, IPP and PML-Q.
Three suspended members of the provincial assembly occupying reserved seats for non-Muslims include two from the PML-N and one from the PPP.
Two members from PPP and one from MQM also lost their seats in Sindh Assembly.