The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday reserved its verdict in the case concerning the allocation of reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
A five-member bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja presided over the hearing, where lawyers from several political parties, including PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, ANP, and PTI Parliamentarians (PTI-P), presented their arguments.
PPP’s counsel Nayyar Bukhari stated that the issue primarily concerns PML-N and JUI-F, asserting that PPP has no direct involvement in the matter and the dispute lies between PML-N and the ECP.
The ANP lawyer argued that since the party secured one seat in the by-elections, the distribution of reserved seats should reflect the post-election scenario.
The CEC highlighted that the ECP had already issued two notifications regarding reserved seats, but noted that the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC)-related issue was still unresolved.
The PTI-P lawyer maintained that reserved seats must be proportionate to the general seats won, stressing the importance of the cut-off date for calculating allocations. He also raised concerns that two of PTI-P’s representatives were counted as one, insisting that, based on current notifications, PTI-P is entitled to two reserved seats.
ECP Member from Sindh, Nisar Durrani, questioned whether reserved seats could be reduced following a drop in a party’s general seats during by-elections. In response, the PTI-P lawyer argued that reserved seats, once allocated, cannot be withdrawn.
After hearing all arguments, the commission reserved its decision, which will be announced at a later date.