Pakistan's apex court declares Imran Khan's party eligible for reserved seats

Islamabad: The Supreme Court of Pakistan declared former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party eligible for the reserved seats, a decision which might make it the largest party in the National Assembly of the country.

According to the verdict by a 13-member bench of Pakistan's top court, the decision was made on a set of appeals against the denial of reserved seats for women and non-Muslims to PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and declared on Friday, reported Xinhua news agency.

Earlier this year, PTI-backed candidates had to contest the General Elections on February 8 as independents after their party was stripped of its election symbol by the ECP following a verdict by the apex court.

Later, victorious candidates supported by the PTI joined the SIC to form a coalition of convenience to claim the reserved seats. However, the ECP refused to award the SIC and distributed those seats among other political parties.

The supreme court, with the majority of eight judges to five, canceled the decisions of the PHC while also declaring the decision of the election regulator null and void, terming it against the Constitution of Pakistan.

"The order of the Election Commission of Pakistan, dated 1st of March 2024, is declared to be too ultra vires to (beyond the powers of) the Constitution, without lawful authority and of no legal effect," according to the order of the verdict.

The apex court also declared that the lack or denial of an election symbol does not affect the constitutional and legal rights of a political party to participate in an election and to field candidates.

The verdict further declared that the PTI was and is a political party that secured general seats in the national and provincial assemblies in the General Elections of 2024.

The Supreme Court also said that 39 candidates from the PTI were confirmed as elected members while the remaining 41 who joined the SIC can file nomination papers to select the PTI as their party in the lower house of the country's parliament.