SC declares PTI as eligible for reserved seats
Setback for sitting coalition govt
IN a major setback to sitting coalition government, the Supreme Court has declared the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of Imran Khan as eligible for a share of reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies. The judgment has made it possible for Mr Khan’s party to increase its tallies of seats in the legislatures.
The judgement was announced on Friday by a 13-member bench in an 8-5 ruling, according to several mainstream news channels. The case was filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), an allied party the PTI-backed candidates had joined after the Feb 8 general election, which they were forced to contest as independent candidates.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had barred Mr Khan’s party from contesting the election under its electoral symbol, a cricket bat, due to election law violations. Consequently, PTI candidates had to run as independents, yet they surprised everyone by winning more seats than any other party in the National Assembly — 93. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) came second with 75 seats, and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) third with 54 seats.
After Mr Khan’s refusal to join hands with any of his rivals, the PML-N and PPP agreed to form a coalition government with other smaller parties. Under Pakistani law, 266 National Assembly seats are chosen in the general election, and 70 additional reserved seats (60 for women and 10 for minorities) are distributed to political parties based on their election performance.
A total of 169 seats is required to form a government with a simple majority, but a two-thirds majority of 224 votes is necessary to form a government that may pass constitutional amendments as well.
In its short order on Friday, the Supreme Court recognised the PTI as a political party and affirmed that not having an election symbol does not affect a party’s legal rights to field candidates. “PTI was and is a political party, which secured general seats in the national and provincial assemblies in the general elections of 2024,” the verdict read.
The court has directed the PTI to submit its list of names for reserved seats within two weeks. The PTI-backed candidates who joined SIC in the assembly are also required to submit affidavits declaring their political affiliation within the same timeframe.
The SIC currently holds 86 seats in the National Assembly while four PTI-backed candidates chose to remain independent. It is expected that just over 20 reserved seats will be allocated to PTI-backed candidates in the national legislature after this verdict.
PTI leader Gohar Ali Khan praised the Supreme Court’s decision, calling it a victory for the rule of law. “This decision will be remembered in history. It’s a win for Pakistan’s democracy and restores our party’s rights,” he told the media after the ruling.