PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) issued a ruling on Wednesday to halt the swearing-in ceremony of legislators designated to seats that were denied to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
During today's proceedings presided over by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Shakeel Ahmad, the court issued a stay order, preventing the members from taking their oaths. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been directed to provide its response to the matter by Thursday.
This development transpired after the party had announced its intention to contest the electoral body's decision from Monday, which dismissed the SIC's request for the allocation of reserved seats. The PTI-backed independent candidates had merged with the SIC.
The ECP's decision dictated that the seats in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies would not remain vacant. Instead, they would be distributed through a proportional representation process based on the seats won by political parties. The ECP cited procedural and legal irregularities and violations of constitutional provisions as the reason for rejecting the SIC's claim to reserved seats for women.
Reserved seats were distributed to all political parties according to their representation in the assemblies, excluding the PTI-backed SIC.
With the allocation of reserved seats, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its allies now hold a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, comprising 230 members.
During today's hearing, the court questioned whether the issue of reserved seats could be brought before the high court. The petitioner's lawyer, Qazi Anwar, referenced Articles 51 and 106 of the constitution, emphasizing that the PTI-backed independent candidates had adhered to the three-day deadline for joining the SIC.
The court expressed acknowledgment of this fact and directed the Attorney General and Advocate General to provide assistance. Subsequently, the case was referred to the PHC chief justice for the formation of a larger bench to address the matter.
