- PTI-P and ANP Pleas rejected under constitutional interpretation.
- The verdict equalizes the number of general PML-N and JUI-F seats in KP.
- ECP affirms the siege quota reserved on the basis of February 22.
Islamabad: The Pakistan Electoral Commission (ECP) granted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday an additional reserved seat in the assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while refusing similar petitions of two other parts.
The decision, detailed in a 15 -page judgment rendered by a bench of five members led by chief elections commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, followed the directives of the High Court of Peshawar to review the allocation of reserved seats.
The decision brings the general count of the PML-N siege in KP in accordance with that of the Jamiat Ulema-E-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), thus authorizing the party to another reserved seat.
The ordinance said: “… The quota recalculation for seats reserved for women and non-Muslims at the late stage after the attribution of the seats reserved for political parties is not supported by the Constitution and the Law. The justification for the quota calculation for the seats reserved on the basis of the party position at 22-02-2025 had to avoid endless controversies. ”
The ECP accepted the advocacy of the PMLN concerning the independent candidate Malik Tariq Awan, who joined the party within three days of the electoral notification in accordance with the constitutional requirements. However, he rejected similar claims by PTI-P.
Regarding the request for ANP for an additional siege, the Commission noted: “The results of the elections in Bye cannot be included because it is not the spirit of constitution … In the event that this petition is accepted, it will be endless processes which will lead to the recalculation / fluctuation of seats from time to time.”
On Monday, the ECP reserved its verdict on the petitions deposited by the PML-N, JUI-F and others concerning the allocation of the seats reserved in the KP assembly.
A bench of four ECP members, led by Chief Electoral Commissioner Raja, reserved the decision after hearing the arguments of all the parties concerned.
During the hearing, the lawyers of PML-N, JUI-F and other parties appeared before the electoral body.
On July 8, the PHC canceled the notification of the ECP on the distribution of seats reserved for women and minorities of the KP assembly. The two -page judgment of the court came on a request filed by the PMLN contesting the allowance.
The court had ordered the ECP to reassign the seats after hearing all the parties concerned within 10 days. The court also interrupted the taking of the legislators’s oath on these reserved seats until the final decision of the ECP.
Addressing the media outside the ECP office in Islamabad, the chief and lawyer of the Jeu-F and lawyer Kamran Murtaza said that all the political parties had presented their arguments before the committee during the hearing of today.
He said PML-N asked to obtain a larger share of reserved seats, in particular following the inclusion of the independent candidate Tariq Awan in their ranks.
