SC verdict on reserved seats can't be implemented after amendment to Election Act: NA speaker
Pakistan
Speaker also referenced Supreme Court's decision regarding the case on reserved seats.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has demanded the allocation of reserved seats under the amended Election Act.
Speaker Ayaz Sadiq wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja regarding the reserved seats.
He further mentioned that the Supreme Court's decision on reserved seats cannot be implemented after the amendment to the Election Act.
In the letter, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq told the chief election commissioner that reserved seats cannot be changed after the amendment to the Election Act. The Election Act has been amended after the Supreme Court’s decision, and the amendment applies retroactively.
He said that the Election Act is currently in effect, so the Election Commission should implement the law made by Parliament and adhere to the principles of democracy and parliamentary supremacy.
In the letter to the chief election commissioner, Ayaz Sadiq stated, “As the Speaker of the National Assembly, he wishes to address the important issue of the sanctity and autonomy of the Parliament. It is essential to follow parliamentary principles to maintain the autonomy and dignity of the parliamentary system.”
He wrote that an independent member who joins a political party cannot switch parties under the amended Election Act. The amended Election Act has been applied retroactively from 2017, and implementing it is the constitutional and legal responsibility of the Election Commission.
