Supreme Court Turns Down ECP’s Plea in Reserved Seats Case
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) dismissed the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) plea seeking its guidance on the verdict in the reserved seats case of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ruling it as “dilatory tactics.”
Judges Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan issued the clarification.
“Putting together the record placed before us [top court], and considering the same in light of the short order, leaves in little doubt that the clarification sought by the commission is nothing more than a contrived device and adoption of dilatory tactics,” the eight judges ruled in the the order.
The court reiterated that the ECP cannot change its position under the guise of seeking clarification and noted that the commission had already recognized Barrister Gohar as the PTI chairman. The court also warned that the ECP’s failure to perform its obligations might have consequences.
The case revolves around the allocation of reserved seats to political parties based on their performance in general elections. The PTI had filed petitions challenging the ECP’s decision to deny reserved seats to the party, citing technical grounds.
The Supreme Court’s decision has significant political implications, as it may impact the composition of the National Assembly. The PTI hopes to secure 78 reserved seats currently allocated to rival parties.
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