0
• Official says meeting remained ‘inconclusive’ as law wing was ‘unprepared’
• Commission adjourns disqualification case against Omar Ayub
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday failed to reach a decision over the distribution of reserved seats after the Supreme Court’s verdict, sources told Dawn.
A senior official of ECP said the commission’s meeting remained inconclusive as the law wing was unprepared. He added some applications on this matter filed by PML-N, JUI-F and other individuals were still pending.
The official dispelled reports that the meeting could not reach a decision in the absence of the judgement’s copy.
The ECP received the copy on Saturday, a day after the Constitutional Bench dismissed petitions filed by PTI, declaring the party ineligible for reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies.
He said the Commission would meet again on Wednesday (today)and hoped a decision would be taken on the issue.
In a 7-3 majority ruling, the Constitutional Bench, on Friday, overturned the Supreme Court’s July 12, 2024, judgement in the reserved seats case, effectively taking away reserved seats from the PTI and handing them to their rival parties in the national and provincial legislatures.
The decision overturned the majority judgement by eight judges, which had declared the PTI eligible for reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the assemblies.
The bench restored the March 25, 2024, order of the Peshawar High Court which had deprived the Sunni Ittehad Council, the party joined by PTI-backed independents after the Feb 8, 2024 polls, of reserved seats.
The Constitutional Bench’s decision effectively meant the PTI was no longer a parliamentary party.
Therefore, the 77 reserved seats of the national and provincial assemblies will be allocated among the parliamentary parties present in the respective assemblies, since they cannot be kept vacant.
In light of the decision, the distribution of 22 reserved seats of NA would be: 15 for PML-N, four for PPP and three for JUI-F, according to legal experts.
After this process, the ruling coalition will achieve a two-thirds majority; in a house of 336, the magic number required to attain a two-thirds majority is 224.
Disqualification case
Separately, the ECP has adjourned the hearing of disqualification reference against PTI leader Omar Ayub till July 15 after a court order to halt the proceedings.
A three-member bench of the ECP, headed by member from Sindh Nisar Ahmed Durrani, heard the reference on Tuesday.
Mr Khan’s lawyers submitted a stay order against the proceedings issued by the Peshawar High Court.
The ECP member from KP, retired Justice Ikramullah, noted the high court has not specified a new date in the order. The bench directed the commission’s legal team to seek clarification from the PHC. It emphasised the reference forwarded by the National Assembly speaker against Mr Khan must be decided within 90 days.
Omar Ayub was also asked to submit a response in the assets declaration case filed over alleged discrepancies in his nomination papers and data provided to the RO.
The NA speaker forwarded the disqualification case on the plea filed by ex-MNA Babar Nawaz, who lost to Mr Khan in the 2024 election from Haripur’s NA-18 constituency.
Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2025
