In Islamabad, the Supreme Court has halted the decision to allocate reserved seats of the Sunni Ittehad Council to other political entities.
During a session led by a three-member bench, appeals from the Sunni Ittehad Council concerning the reserved seats were heard.
Both the federal government and female Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) sought the establishment of a larger bench. The federal government objected to the composition of the three-member bench, advocating that only a larger bench should handle such appeals.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah deliberated on whether the appeals were admissible. Counsel for the female MLAs contended that the case pertained to the interpretation of Article 51 of the Constitution, suggesting that a five-member bench should hear it under the Practice and Procedure Act.
Despite objections, the court dismissed the challenge to the bench’s composition. Representatives of the Sunni Ittehad Council highlighted discrepancies in the allocation of reserved seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing instances where parties were granted more seats than they deserved.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah raised questions about the constitutional principle governing the allocation of specific seats and whether these allocated seats could be redistributed. He emphasized the importance of upholding the public mandate and questioned if the unallocated seats would remain vacant.
Justice Athar opined that a political party should receive reserved seats in proportion to its electoral success, expressing concern over a major political party being denied an electoral symbol without sufficient reason.
The court queried Election Commission officials on whether seats of independent candidates could be redistributed to other parties. The Election Commission lawyer confirmed this, prompting reactions from PTI representatives present in the courtroom.
Following deliberations, the Supreme Court suspended decisions by the Election Commission and the High Court to allocate additional seats to parties other than the Sunni Ittehad Council. The suspension specifically pertained to the awarding of additional seats.
The case has been referred to the practice and procedure committee to form a larger bench. Previously, the Election Commission and the Peshawar High Court had ruled against granting special privileges to the Sunni Ittehad Council, leading to appeals filed by the council.
