SC grants major relief to PTI on reserved seats issue

Supreme Court Suspends Peshawar High Court Decision on Sunni Ittehad Council Reserved Seats

The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) has placed a temporary hold on the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) verdict denying reserved seats for women and minorities to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

Appeal and Hearing:

• The SIC challenged the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision on reserved seats in the SC.
• A three-judge SC bench led by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah heard the appeal.
• The court accepted the appeal for further consideration and established a larger bench upon the government’s request.

Key Points of Discussion:

• Justice Shah questioned the legality of ECP allocating reserved seats to parties beyond their proportional representation in the assemblies.
• He emphasized the importance of upholding the public’s mandate and ensuring proper implementation of constitutional provisions.
• Justice Minallah raised concerns regarding the potential disregard for the SIC’s electoral mandate and the disposition of remaining reserved seats.

Reactions:

• Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan expressed confidence in the judiciary and deemed the ECP’s decision unconstitutional.
• PTI leader Salman Akram Raja viewed the development as a setback for those who distorted the Constitution and vowed to continue legal and public campaigns.

Background:

• The PHC had earlier dismissed the SIC’s petition challenging the ECP’s ruling on reserved seats.
• The SIC, primarily comprising PTI-backed independent candidates, argued for their entitlement to reserved seats based on proportional representation.
• The ECP, however, denied them reserved seats citing legal and procedural shortcomings.

Current Status:

• The SC’s suspension applies only to the additional reserved seats allocated by the ECP.
• The case awaits further proceedings by the larger SC bench.

Please note: This summary omits references to specific political parties besides the SIC and PTI to maintain neutrality.