ISLAMABAD: The electoral entity is set to hear the cases on Tuesday (today) regarding the allocation of reserved seats in the Assemblies to Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) — which has lately been joined by scores of PTI-backed general elections winners — against the backdrop of denial of electoral symbol to Imran Khan’s political party in the recent general elections.
The poll body listed four separate cases, for open hearing, involving SIC in its cause list for today issued on Monday.
A five-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), being headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and comprising of Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana and Ikramullah Khan, is hearing these cases.
In the aftermath of the February 8 general elections, the PTI and SIC have forged an alliance that allows the PTI-backed candidates to join the SIC in a bid to get reserved seats in National Assembly, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assemblies
The number of reserved seats in NA is 70; 60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims. The ECP has notified 38 out of 60 women seats in PA and the poll body’s decision whether to allot the remaining 22 seats to SIC remains pending.
Likewise, seven out of 10 non-Muslim seats in NA have been allotted and the ECP decision on remaining three seats to SIC candidates is pending.
In PA, that has 74 reserved seats; 66 for women and eight for non-Muslims, 42 women seats have been allotted and the decision on remaining 24 seats is pending. Five non-Muslim seats in PA have been allotted and decision on remaining three
is pending.
And, in KP Assembly, there are 30 reserved seats; 26 for women and four for non-Muslims. Five women seats have been allotted and allocation on 21 women seats is pending. All the four non-Muslim seats are yet to be allotted.
The PTI-backed candidates have at least 93 seats in NA. In PA, they have 113 seats and at least 90 seats in KPA. Majority of PTI-backed candidates in the three Assemblies has joined SIC.
Section 104(1) of the Elections Act 2017 states that for the election to seats reserved for women and non-Muslims in an assembly, the political parties contesting elections for such seats shall, within the period fixed by the Commission for submission of nomination papers, file separate lists of their candidates in order of priority for seats reserved for women and non-Muslims.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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