ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday reserved its verdict in the case regarding the allocation of reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
A five-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja conducted the hearing.
Lawyers representing various political parties, including PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, and ANP, appeared and presented their arguments.
Read more: PHC suspends ECP’s reserved seats order
PPP’s lawyer, Nayyar Bukhari, argued that the issue of reserved seat distribution is primarily between JUI-F and PML-N. He stated that PML-N’s claim is not directed against PPP, and therefore, PPP has no dispute or involvement in the matter. It is a matter between PML-N and the ECP.
ANP’s lawyer argued that the party had won one seat in the by-elections, and their stance is that the allocation of reserved seats should reflect the post-election scenario.
The CEC noted that two phases of notifications had been issued regarding reserved seats and that the issue concerning the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) had not yet been resolved.
The lawyer for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) argued that reserved seats should be allocated based on general seats won. The number of reserved seats should correspond to the number of general seats. He emphasised that the most critical issue is the cut-off date.
Member Sindh, Nisar Durrani, questioned whether reserved seats could be reduced if a party’s number of seats decreased in the by-elections. The PTI-P lawyer responded that reserved seats cannot be taken back.
He also expressed concerns that two of their representatives were counted as one, and based on the notifications, PTI-P is entitled to two reserved seats.
After hearing arguments from all parties, the ECP reserved its verdict.
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