The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has dealt a significant blow to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), stating that the religious political party is not entitled to reserved seats for women and minorities in the assemblies. The decision comes after the SIC’s petition seeking allocation of seats in the national and provincial assemblies was rejected by the ECP on Monday.
In a 4-1 verdict, the ECP’s five-member bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja, ruled that the SIC did not qualify for the reserved seats and decided not to allot any seats to the party. This decision was a major setback for the SIC, which is now home to PTI-backed candidates who won elections.
“The seats in the National Assembly shall not remain vacant and will be allotted by proportional representation process of political parties on the basis of seats won by political parties,” the 22-page order stated.
ECP Member from Punjab, Babar Hasan Barwana, expressed dissent with the majority decision, stating that while he agreed the SIC was not entitled to the seats due to late submission of party lists, he disagreed with giving the remaining reserved seats to other political parties.
In response to the verdict, PTI leader Barrister Ali Zafar announced that his party would challenge the ECP’s decision in the Supreme Court. “We have decided on the floor of Senate that we will challenge this ECP order and will take all the legal ways against the decision,” Zafar said.
Furthermore, PTI demanded the resignation of ECP members, arguing that the commission cannot continue its proceedings in light of the decision. They also called for the postponement of the presidential and Senate elections until the issue of reserved seats is resolved.
The ECP’s decision on reserved seats, excluding those for the SIC, has left 23 seats unallocated. The ruling alliance, comprising six parties, currently lacks the two-thirds majority needed for a constitutional amendment. However, if the ECP were to allocate the SIC’s reserved seats to other political parties, the ruling alliance would achieve the required majority in the National Assembly.
The SIC had approached the ECP on February 21 seeking the allotment of reserved seats, which ultimately led to the recent decision by the electoral authority.
