As the PHC resumed hearing the Sunni Ittehad Council’s petition pertaining to the allocation of reserved seats, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan said a political party could get reserved seats only if it won a general one.

In his arguments, the AGP said the representation of “mixed members”, including women and minorities, in the assemblies was law.

“The petitioner party did not take part in the general elections,” he stated.

Here, the court observed that the “method for a list of reserved seats was not clear in the law” and asked if the SIC was being considered a political party. To this, AGP Awan replied that it was yet to be reviewed whether the SIC was a political party or not under the “various sections of the ECP”.

“According to the law, if a political party that took part in the general elections or won a seat, then they would be allocated reserved seats,” the AGP told the court. “When a political party wins and then independent candidates join it, only then will it gain the benefit of reserved seats.”