PTI approaches SC for implementation of order on reserved seats
Pakistan
PTI also implores court to reject ECP's petition seeking advice on short order
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan seeking implementation of the court order on reserved seats.
The PTI filed a miscellaneous application in the Supreme Court through Advocate Aziz Bhindari against the Election Commission of Pakistan petition desiring guidance on the top court's short order.
The PTI implored to reject the ECP's petition regarding advice on the top court's short order. It also prayed to order the ECP to approve certificates of the independent candidates who won the February elections.
Moreover, the major opposition party has also submitted its reply in court regarding ambiguity in the court order.
RESERVED SEATS VERDICT
It is to be recalled that the apex court overturned the Peshawar High Court's verdict of depriving the PTI of the reserved seats of non-Muslim and women candidates in assemblies.
The apex court, in its majority 8-5 decision, announced that the conduct of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding reserved seats was 'unconstitutional', adding that the PTI would remain intact as a political party even without being assigned an election symbol. The verdict was authored by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah.
Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Irfan Saadat, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Ali Mazhar decided in favour of the PTI to be allotted reserved seats.
Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Jamal Mandokhail, Justice Naeem Afghan and Justice Aminuddin Khan favoured against the PTI.
Besides, Justice Yahya Afridi wrote a dissenting note.
More to read: Reserved seats verdict to change composition of assemblies
The SC accepted the PTI as a political party and rejected the SIC's appeals.
BACKGROUND
On March 4, the Election Commission of Pakistan had accepted applications of the opposition parties and decided that the seats in the National and provincial assemblies would not remain vacant and would be allocated by a proportional representation process on the basis of seats won by political parties.
The development resulted in the PTI-backed SIC losing a total of 77 reserved seats - 23 National Assembly seats (20 women and 3 minorities), 25 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly seats (21 women and 4 minorities), two Sindh Assembly seats (women) and 27 Punjab Assembly seats (24 women and 3 minority).
The Peshawar High Court had also rejected the petitions filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council for the reserved seats of women and minorities. The party had challenged the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict of not allocating the reserved women and minority seats to the SIC.
