ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday filed a
review petition in the Supreme Court against reserved seats verdict that declared
the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) eligible for the reserved seats for minorities
and women.
The ruling party has nominated 11 respondents in the plea including the Sunni
Ittehad Council (SIC) and its chairman Hamid Raza, praying the court to suspend
its ruling dated July 12, 2024, on the reserved seats.
The petitioner claimed the apex court’s verdict was silent on some points.
The review petition asked a number of questions including whether the SIC should
be granted the reserved seats.
It questioned if reserved seats could be granted to a political party who had not
submitted a party list within the prescribed time, whether a political party can be
given reserved seats whose candidates have not even filed nomination papers
within the time provided by the Election Commission of Pakistan and if
independents could even join a political party which did not win a single general
seat in parliament.
The plea also raised question if the seats could be left vacant or have to be
distributed amongst the political parties contesting for the said seats.
The petition has been filed in response the apex court ruling last week, that
declared the PTI eligible for the allocation of reserved seats.
The decision not only paved the way for the PTI’s return to the parliament, which
was kicked out of the February 8 polls owing to the ECP’s December 2023 ruling,
but has also increased the pressure on the coalition alliance by changing the
composition of the National Assembly.
The 8-5 majority verdict declared that the lack or denial of an election symbol
does not in any manner affect the constitutional or legal rights of a political party
to participate in an election, whether general or by, and to field candidates and
that the commission is under a constitutional duty to apply all statutory provisions
accordingly.