PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan Accuses Government of Blocking Reserved Seats for Women and Minorities
Islamabad, Pakistan – July 31: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has accused the government of planning to introduce legislation to stop his party from getting seats reserved for women and minorities. He called on the Pakistan Supreme Court to ensure the implementation of its July 12 decision, which declared PTI eligible for the allocation of reserved seats.
Gohar Ali Khan stated that the government’s actions are an attempt to overturn the apex court’s decision and that PTI will seek justice from the Supreme Court. He hoped that the court would take action to implement its ruling. He mentioned that it is the first time in parliament that an attempt is being made to override the decisions of the apex court.
He requested the Supreme Court to take notice of the action being taken against 41 members of the National Assembly (MNA) who have submitted their affidavits. Gohar Ali Khan urged the court to issue notices and called on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to notify the remaining members of the provincial assembly (MPAs).
His statement came as the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) tabled the Election Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the National Assembly, demanding a restriction on independent lawmakers becoming part of political parties after a certain period. The bill, tabled by PML-N MNA Bilal Azhar Kayani, stated that Articles 51 and 106 of the Constitution provided for the allocation of seats to the National Assembly and provincial assemblies, along with the mechanism for the polls.
The bill also mentioned the treatment for independent candidates who might become members of a political party within three days of the publication in the official Gazette of the names of the returned candidates. Another change proposed by the bill said that if any political party did not submit its list for reserved seats within the prescribed time, then it would not be eligible for the quota of reserved seats at a later time.
A 13-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, stated that the PTI is eligible for the allocation of reserved seats. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah announced the 8-5 majority verdict, setting aside the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) order wherein it had upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision denying the reserved seats to the SIC. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Jamal Mandokhail, Justice Naeem Afghan, Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice Ameenuddin Khan opposed the majority decision.
The issue of reserved seats took center stage after more than 80 PTI-backed independent candidates secured wins in the general elections held in Pakistan on February 8. Later, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) moved the electoral watchdog on February 21, seeking allocation of reserved seats. However, the PTI faced a major setback after the ECP, citing PTI’s failure to submit its list of candidates, did not allow the allocation of the reserved seats to the SIC through the 4-1 verdict on March 4. The ECP distributed the reserved seats for women and minorities among other political parties.
The PTI-backed SIC had moved court after the electoral watchdog did not allocate the reserved seats due to the party’s failure to submit its list of candidates before the deadline. The Peshawar High Court (PHC) upheld the ECP’s decision, leading the SIC to approach the Supreme Court. According to the notification, the ECP allocated one reserved seat each to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. The ECP allocated reserved seats for women to Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and PPP in Sindh Assembly. PPP leader Samita Afzal and MQM-P leader Fouzia Hameed were elected on reserved seats.
Subsequently, the PHC verdict permitted the ruling coalition, which includes PML-N, PPP, and other allies, to gain a two-thirds majority in Pakistan’s National Assembly. The court’s decision increased the PML-N seats to 123 and the PPP to 73, while SIC had 82 seats.
Doubts Revealed
PTI -: PTI stands for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which is a political party in Pakistan. It was founded by Imran Khan, a famous cricketer turned politician.
Chairman -: A chairman is the leader or head of an organization or group. In this case, Gohar Ali Khan is the leader of the PTI party.
Reserved Seats -: Reserved seats are special seats in the government that are set aside for certain groups, like women and minorities, to make sure they have representation.
Minorities -: Minorities are groups of people who are different from the majority of the population in terms of race, religion, or culture. In Pakistan, this can include groups like Christians, Hindus, and others.
Supreme Court -: The Supreme Court is the highest court in a country. It makes the final decisions on important legal matters. In this case, it is the highest court in Pakistan.
PML-N -: PML-N stands for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which is another political party in Pakistan. It is named after its leader, Nawaz Sharif.
Election Commission of Pakistan -: The Election Commission of Pakistan is a government body that oversees elections in Pakistan. It makes sure that elections are fair and follow the rules.
Bill -: A bill is a proposal for a new law. It has to be approved by the government before it becomes a law.
Independent Lawmakers -: Independent lawmakers are members of the government who do not belong to any political party. They make decisions based on their own views rather than following a party’s rules.
