In Islamabad, the Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on a significant case involving the Sunni Ittehad Council, challenging the Peshawar High Court’s decision to uphold the Election Commission of Pakistan’s denial of reserved seats to them.
The case was heard by a 13-member full court bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan, Qazi Faez Isa. Barrister Salman Akram Raja represented Kanwal Shauzab, while Faisal Siddiqui represented the SIC, presenting their arguments during the proceedings.
The issue arose after independent candidates backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf won seats in the February 8 elections and subsequently joined the SIC, aiming to claim reserved seats for minorities and women.
However, the ECP denied allocating these seats to the SIC, citing the party’s failure to submit a candidate list.
The SIC then approached the Peshawar High Court, which upheld the ECP’s decision. In response, the SIC appealed to the Supreme Court to set aside the PHC’s verdict and secure the allocation of 67 women and 11 minority seats in the assemblies.
This matter holds significance as the PTI-backed independents lost 77 reserved seats across National Assembly and provincial assemblies due to the PHC’s ruling. Additionally, the PTI filed a petition to intervene in the case, asserting readiness to provide a candidate list but claiming they were denied the opportunity to do so.
Both the federal government and the ECP opposed the SIC’s plea. The government, represented by Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, urged the apex court to reject the plea, arguing that reserved seats should go to political parties that contested and won at least one seat, adhering to the law’s provisions. The ECP similarly argued that the SIC did not qualify for reserved seats since it missed the deadline to submit candidate lists.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also submitted arguments opposing the SIC’s claim, emphasizing that the party did not contest the elections nor submit necessary nomination papers.
The Supreme Court’s decision on this case will have far-reaching implications for the allocation of reserved seats in Pakistan’s legislative bodies, shaping the political landscape in the aftermath of recent elections and influencing future electoral strategies and regulations.
