The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday announced its much-awaited verdict in the case related to the denial of reserved seats to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
In its verdict, the top court ruled that the PTI was eligible for the allocation of reserved seats and ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to notify the reserved seats to the PTI.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah announced the 8-5 majority verdict, nullifying 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.
The verdict was supported by Justices Athar Minallah, Shahid Waheed, Muneeb Akhtar, Muhammad Ali Mazhar Ayesha Malik, Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, and Irfan Saadat Khan.
The court declared that the lack or denial of an election symbol does not in any manner affect the Constitutional or legal rights of a political party to participate in an election, whether general or by, and to field candidates and that the commission is under a Constitutional duty to apply all statutory provisions accordingly.
The top court remarked that PTI, as a political party, has a legal and constitutional right to reserved seats. Rejecting the appeals filed by the SIC, the apex court said that the party cannot take reserved seats as per the Constitution.
The court had Tuesday reserved the verdict on the SIC’s petition challenging the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) decision wherein it had upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) order to deny the reserved seats to the SIC — comprising of the PTI-backed independent candidates.
The bench also comprised Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Irfan Saadat Khan and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.
