Bilal Ahmed 
(C)PT,another plea filed by ecp on reserved seats verdict
On July 12, 2024, a 13 member bench which was headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa declared the acceptance of the reserved seats of national and provincial assemblies. This petition was filed by the former PM Imran Khan. Due to electoral violations Imran Khan was denied to contest in the election under the symbol, a cricket bat. According to the law of Pakistan, in the general election 266 National Assembly seats will be chosen and 70 (60-women, 10-minorities) additional seats will be chosen based on the political parties performance in the election. A political party needs 169 seats to form a government with a two-thirds majority of 224 votes needed to pass any constitutional government.
The Supreme Court accepted PTI as a political party even though they did not have an election symbol.
On Friday, September 27, ECP approached the top court for the clarification and guidance on following the method in the National assembly. Whether to follow the amended Election Act 2017 or the verdict declared on July 12, in allocating the reserved seats for PTI. The Election Commission has cited the National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Saidiq letter which states that amendments are according to the verdict of the Supreme Court which declared the eligibility of the opposition party for reserved seats.
The Pakistan ECP has also filed yet another two petitions for a clear review on the “clarification order” and to seek a stay on the July 12 verdict. The ECP has noted the verdict of the supreme court has been made on “assumptions”.
“It cannot rewrite the Constitution on the pretext of interpretation. Even if the certificates, submitted by PTI Chairman, are recognised or accepted, the number of PTI members does not reach 39” – Pakistan ECP.
Pakistan ECP’s Petition
- The Judgment of the Supreme Court on July 12,2024 completely deviated from the verdict of September 23, 2024.
- The Constitution binds the independent lawmakers to join any political party in 3 days but SC granted 15 days to them.
- The affidavits submitted by independent candidates to (SIC) Sunni Ittehad Council were ignored in the court’s ruling.
