The PTI parliamentary committee rejects the Verdict SC on reserved seats

The Parliamentary Committee of Pakistan Tehreek-E-insaf (PTI) categorically rejected the verdict of the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, which put aside its judgment of July 12, 2024. This decision had restored the PTI as a parliamentary party and allowed it to obtain seats reserved for the Legislative Assembly.

Last week, the Supreme Court canceled its decision of July 12 on the reserved seats, accepting examination petitions and respecting the decision of the High Court of Peshawar. As a result, the PTI has lost its reserved seats.

In response to the court’s decision, PTI held a crucial meeting of its parliamentary committee in Islamabad on Wednesday to discuss the implications of the recent verdict.

The meeting, which attended the members of the PTI of national and provincial assemblies, senators and central leaders, focused on the analysis of the political landscape after the verdict and the formulation of a parliamentary strategy. He also saw animated exchanges between certain leaders, suggesting internal tensions of the party.

Amir Dogar, member of the National Assembly, launched the discussion by presenting a written message from imprisoned PTI leaders, expressing their concern about their ill -treatment and their lack of medical facilities in prison.

Sheikh Waqas Akram revealed that seven party workers had lost their lives due to illness in prison and that the fundamental rights of prisoners were refused. Nisar Jutt criticized the chief minister of KP, Ali Amin Gandapur, on the provincial budget, stressing that party leaders should avoid making contradictory declarations without mutual consultation.

Jutt also reaffirmed support for the PTI president, lawyer Gohar Ali Khan, declaring that he had been appointed by the founder and, therefore, has the full mandate of the party.

Ali Muhammad Khan supported the negotiations interpreted at the meeting, mentioning that if the management chooses to negotiate, the party would support it. However, if demonstrations were chosen, the party would also participate.

Zartaj Gul proposed that demonstrations be held at the level of the constituency rather than Islamabad and have suggested forming a committee authorized for negotiations.

Read: PTI loses a legal battle for reserved seats

Unanimous resolution was adopted at the meeting, calling for all possible efforts to guarantee the liberation of the founding president, ensuring the health and well-being of other imprisoned leaders and rejecting the court verdict on the reserved seats. The resolution also demanded that PTI managers and lawyers be authorized to meet Imran Khan immediately.

After the meeting, Barrister Gohar, Salman Akram Raja, Gandapur and Akram held a press conference to clarify the party’s position. Gandapur said the party was ready to sacrifice everything for the release of the Imran Khan founder.

He added that if someone tries to reverse his government by unconstitutional means, he would leave politics. Raja said Pakistan’s resources have been pounded for eight decades and stressed the need to fight for the fundamental rights of the people.

The lawyer Gohar reiterated that the party follows the founder’s instructions, and all decisions concerning negotiations, demonstrations or other political actions will be taken with its approval.

Akram argued that there was a complete unity within the party and that the political and legal struggle will continue under the leadership of the founder. He also reaffirmed the unanimous rejection of the court’s decision on the reserved seats.

SC reverses PTI’s claim to reserved seats

The Supreme Court canceled a 2024 judgment which had enabled PTI to claim seats reserved for national and provincial legislatures.

The order made by a constitutional bench of 10 members granted several revision requests filed by the power coalition and rejected its previous decision which had recognized the PTI, through its alliance with the Sunni Council Ittehad (SIC), as eligible for reserved seats.

With a majority of seven judges, the high -level court ruled in favor of the revision, effectively canceling the verdict of July 12, 2024 of the Court of Apex. This judgment had previously restored the status of PTI as a parliamentary party ordered to the ECP to allocate seats reserved for women and minorities.

Following the new decision, nearly 80 seats reserved in national and provincial assemblies will be reassigned among other parliamentary parties, excluding the SIC. This decision gives the coalition to power a majority of two thirds in Parliament.

It should be noted that the High Court of Peshawar had previously rejected the challenge of the SIC to the electoral commission for the decision of Pakistan, which had refused to allocate seats reserved for the party.

Earlier, in his short order on July 12, 2024, eight out of 13 judges concluded that 39 MNA out of 80 on the list were elected candidates of the PTI, positioning him as the largest party in the National Assembly.