ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is likely to decide today (Friday) whether or not to grant PTI reserved seats in parliament in line with the Supreme Court’s July 12 order, a source told Dawn.
A meeting headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on Thursday took up the issue and discussed the two letters written by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to not grant PTI the reserved seats.
The meeting was briefed by the commission’s law wing.
According to sources, another meeting will take place today (Friday), and further discussion will be held with legal experts.
Sources say ECP set to take decision on NA speaker’s letter about fresh law
In his letter to the ECP last month, Speaker Sadiq stated that the Supreme Court’s judgement on reserved seats “cannot be implemented under the Amended Election Act, 2017”.
The ruling coalition had lost a two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament after the ECP, on May 14, suspended victory notifications of 77 members of national and provincial assemblies elected on reserved seats.
The development came a week after the Supreme Court suspended Peshawar High Court’s judgement, depriving the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) of reserved seats for women and minorities.
The speaker now wants the ECP to take a decision as per the amended law, asserting that the parliament was supreme.
Some analysts believe that the ECP might decide against the Supreme Court’s judgement and restore the members from PML-N, PPP, and JUI-F who were earlier notified to have been elected against reserved seats.
A source also claimed that these former members had already been asked to reach Islamabad to take oath following their restoration.
Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2024
