Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Appeals to Supreme Court Over Reserved Seats Verdict
Islamabad [Pakistan], August 26: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has approached the Supreme Court to enforce its decision on reserved seats. Advocate Azhar Bhandari filed a plea requesting the court to order the Election Commission to implement the judgement.
The petition urges the court to direct the Election Commission to issue certificates of affiliation to independent candidates and act on the short order issued on July 12. PTI claims the Election Commission’s delay in implementing the judgement has caused undue delay.
A 13-member bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, declared PTI eligible for the allocation of reserved seats, a setback for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah announced the 8-5 majority verdict, overturning the Peshawar High Court’s decision that upheld the Election Commission’s denial of reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, along with Justices Jamal Mandokhail, Naeem Afghan, Yahya Afridi, and Ameenuddin Khan, opposed the majority decision. The issue gained prominence after over 80 PTI-backed candidates won in the February 8 elections. The SIC requested reserved seats on February 21, but the Election Commission denied the request on March 4 due to PTI’s failure to submit its candidate list on time.
The Peshawar High Court upheld the Election Commission’s decision, leading PTI to appeal. The Election Commission allocated reserved seats to other parties, including Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly. Reserved seats for women were allocated to Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and PPP.
The Peshawar High Court’s verdict allowed the ruling coalition to gain a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, raising PML-N’s seats to 123 and PPP’s to 73, while SIC held 82 seats.
Doubts Revealed
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf -: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a political party in Pakistan. It was founded by Imran Khan, who is a famous cricketer turned politician.
Supreme Court -: The Supreme Court is the highest court in a country. It makes the final decisions on important legal matters.
Reserved Seats -: Reserved seats are special seats in the government that are set aside for certain groups of people, like women or minorities, to make sure they are represented.
Advocate -: An advocate is a lawyer who represents someone in court. They help people understand and fight for their legal rights.
Election Commission -: The Election Commission is a group that organizes and oversees elections to make sure they are fair and follow the rules.
Peshawar High Court -: The Peshawar High Court is a regional court in Pakistan. It handles legal cases and makes decisions for the Peshawar area.
Sunni Ittehad Council -: The Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) is a group in Pakistan that represents Sunni Muslims. They work to promote Sunni interests and values.
Candidate List Submission Deadline -: This is the last date by which political parties must submit the names of their candidates for an election. If they miss this deadline, their candidates might not be allowed to participate.