SC says reserved seats cannot be allocated in deviance from principle of proportional representation

The Supreme Court adjourned the hearing of the case of the reserved seats until Thursday, stating that reserved seats cannot deviate from proportional representation, Aaj News reported Tuesday.

The full bench, consisting of the Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and other justices, including Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice Aminuddin Khan, heard the case today when the hearing resumed.

PTI legislators seem to have committed ‘political suicide’ by merging into SIC, observes CJP

Following the February elections, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) became the second-largest political party in NA after it was officially recognized as a parliamentary political party by the electoral body.

This implied that 84 candidates, backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who contested and won the February 8 general elections on SIC tickets, officially became SIC lawmakers.

However, the ECP did not reallocate reserved seats—which, if done— would impact the numerical strengths of the political parties in the Assemblies—depriving the ruling coalition of the strength to carry out the legislation in Parliament that requires constitutional amendment(s).

Reply to SC against PHC judgment: SIC not entitled to reserved seats: ECP

The ruling coalition has 224 seats in the NA, which gives it a two-thirds majority in the 336-seat NA. As many as 21 of the 25 SIC reserved seats were allotted to the ruling coalition in a highly controversial decision issued by ECP this March that attracted a strong public backlash. The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) got 16 SIC reserved seats and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) got five of those seats.

If these seats are reallocated to SIC, the ruling coalition’s strength would be reduced to 203 seats, depriving it of two-thirds majority in NA.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa during the last hearing questioned why the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independents after winning the general elections joined the SIC instead of PTI, whose certificate they had attached with their nomination papers for contesting the February 08 polls.

SIC in assemblies: Reserved seats reallocation issue still remains unresolved

“Why the independent candidates elected to join the SIC and not the PTI,” the chief justice asked. They have committed a political suicide by merging into the SIC, he further said and added, “In my view, your case would have been stronger if you had joined PTI after the elections. If those controlling the SIC change their mind tomorrow, you will be left with nothing.”

A Full Court, headed by CJP Faez, on Monday, resumed hearing on SIC’s appeal for not allocating women and minorities reserved seats to it in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies.

Faisal Siddiqui, SIC counsel and Salman Akram Raja representing PTI Women Wing In-charge Kanwal Shauzab completed their submission.