ISLAMABAD (PEN) : The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has temporarily halted the oath-taking of newly selected members on reserved seats in the provincial assembly following a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P).
A two-judge bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Dr. Khurshid Iqbal heard the case challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) allocation of reserved seats. PTI-P’s counsel, Advocate Sultan Muhammad Khan, argued that the ECP miscalculated the reserved seat distribution, noting that despite holding two general seats, PTI-P was granted only one women’s reserved seat.
The petitioner maintained that PTI-P had submitted the priority list for the reserved seats and was entitled to two women’s seats and one minority seat. The court was requested to stop the oath-taking process for the disputed seats until the matter is resolved.
In response, the PHC issued notices to the Election Commission and ordered that no oath be administered to the concerned members until the next hearing.
Background of Supreme Court Verdict
This development follows a Supreme Court constitutional bench ruling that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is not entitled to reserved seats for women and minorities in national and provincial assemblies. In a 7-3 majority decision, the court accepted review petitions, nullified its previous July 12 judgment, and upheld the Peshawar High Court’s ruling.
The short order stated, “By majority of seven, all civil review petitions are allowed and the impugned majority judgment dated July 12, 2024, is set aside,” further dismissing appeals filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and restoring the PHC judgment.
The Sunni Ittehad Council has since petitioned the Supreme Court to release the final decision as a signed Order of the Court by all 12 judges of the bench.
