Supreme Court Justice Yahya Afridi stated on Monday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) qualifies for reserved seats as a legitimate political party, while the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) does not meet the required constitutional criteria.
In a dissenting opinion on the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding reserved seats, he urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to reassess the notification concerning these seats. Justice Afridi noted that PTI was not initially involved in the court proceedings, as they did not submit a formal application at that time.
He pointed out that PTI requested to be included as a party only on June 26, with Barrister Gohar seeking to contribute to the case. However, PTI did not explicitly request any declarations in their favor, prompting Justice Afridi to stress the necessity for the ECP to reconsider the notification related to reserved seats.
Additionally, Justice Afridi commented on the Sunni Ittehad Council’s role in the case, asserting that the Council fails to meet the constitutional requirements for reserved seats, leading to the rejection of their applications. In contrast, he reaffirmed PTI’s status as a legitimate political party eligible for reserved seats, emphasizing that it fulfills the necessary criteria.
