ECP will implement SC verdict on reserved seats case

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to enforce the Supreme Court’s directive on allocating reserved seats to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

It marks a significant legal victory for PTI and a setback for the current rulers. On July 12, the Supreme Court ruled that PTI remains a political party that secured general seats in the national and provincial assemblies during the February 8 elections, thus qualifying for reserved seats.

The court, in an 8-judge majority decision, overturned the Peshawar High `Court’s March 25 judgment and declared the ECP’s March 1 order unconstitutional, unlawful, and invalid.

In a statement, the ECP said the decision followed two meetings on Thursday and Friday to discuss the reserved seats case. The ECP instructed its legal team to promptly “identify” any obstacles to implementing the verdict so the Supreme Court could be approached for guidance.

Additionally, the ECP condemned and rejected unwarranted criticism of the chief election commissioner and members by a political party, without naming PTI. The statement called the PTI’s demand for resignations “ridiculous.”

The commission reiterated that it operates according to the Constitution and laws without yielding to any pressure. It noted that 39 candidates identified as PTI members in their nomination papers failed to submit required documents to returning officers (ROs), preventing them from being declared PTI candidates.

Meanwhile, 41 candidates declared as independents did not indicate PTI affiliation in their nomination papers or submit party tickets. As a result, ROs allowed them to run as independents. These MNAs later joined the Sunni Etihad Council (SIC) within the legal three-day period after winning the election.

The party appealed the ECP and PHC decisions in the Supreme Court, but it was rejected. The statement also clarified that PTI was not a petitioner in the case against the ECP in either the Supreme Court or PHC.