LAHORE: The ruling alliance in Punjab, led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has lost 27 reserved seats to the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the Punjab Assembly following a Supreme Court verdict.

Twenty-three of the MPAs affected belong to PML-N, two to PPP, and one each to PML-Q and IPP.

After losing 24 seats in the PA, PML-N’s seats in the provincial house have now been reduced to 205 — 164 general seats, 36 seats reserved for women, and five for minorities in the 371-seat house. PML-N’s allies — PPP has 14 seats, PML-Q has 10, and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party has six after losing two, with one MPA on reserved seats.

With the addition of 27 seats, the PTI/SIC tally is likely to rise to 131. PTI’s ally Majlas-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen holds one seat in the house. Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan and PML-Z each have one seat in the PA.

Party leaders welcome SC decision

In May, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan suspended 24 women and three minority MPAs elected on reserved seats and barred them from joining house proceedings after the Supreme Court had suspended the ECP’s verdict to allocate reserved seats to parties other than SIC/PTI.

The women MPAs who are set to lose their seats include Maqsoodan Bibi, Rubina Nazir, Salma Zahid, Kanwal Nauman, Zeba Ghafoor, Saeeda Samreen Taj, Sheharbano, Amna Parveen, Syed Sumera Ahmed, Uzma Butt, Afshan Hussain, Shagufta Faisal, Nasreen Riaz, Sajida Naveed, Farzana Abbas, Mariya Talal, Tasheen Fawad, Abida Bashir, Saeeda Muzaffar, Faiza Monima, Amera Khan, Samiya Ata, Rahat Afza, and Rukhsana Shafiq.

The minority MPAs affected are Tariq Masih Gill, Waseem Anjum, and Basrro Jee.

Welcoming the decision of the Supreme Court to return the PTI’s due seats, Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar says his party members’ strength has reached 140 in Punjab Assembly.

The PTI members distributed sweets among workers and supporters outside the Lahore Press Club. MPA Farrukh Javed Moon and other party leaders and workers chanted slogans in the favour of Imran Khan.

In a video message on Friday, Mr Bhachar said the PTI would also get its ‘snatched’ Form-45 seats back. He said a fake government was imposed in Punjab.

He added that the PTI would enthusiastically hold its ‘Haqeeqi Assembly’ session outside the Punjab Assembly gate and protest against the unbridled inflation, massive taxes and ever-increasing rate of power tariff.

The ‘Haqeeqi assembly’ would demand release of the PTI founder chairman Imran Khan and other party leaders languishing in jails for over a year. The Form-45 winners, who did not take oath earlier, would also take oath in the PTI’s own assembly session.

PTI Punjab General Secretary Hammad Azhar said the nation had nurtured hatred against the imposed rulers and considered Imran Khan their leader and added that the establishment was just wasting time by bringing some puppets to TV screens.

He stated the electoral process was the cornerstone of Pakistan’s constitution and state apparatus.

“It is a sacred duty that CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja and his election commission members violated. They all must resign,” he added.

PTI leader Moonis Elahi said the chief election commissioner should immediately resign as the SC decision had completely exposed him.

“The CEC should immediately resign and leave or he would be named and shamed more,” he stated in his tweet.

PTI leader Mian Aslam Iqbal said the masses rejected all the establishment’s tactics by voting for PTI on Feb 8 but the election commission still committed dishonesty by not offering reserved seats to the PTI. “The truth has prevailed and public mandate has been restored, which will nurture democracy in the country,” he added.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2024