PML-N, PPP benefit from ‘SIC-claimed’ seats

PTI gives protest call against ECP decision to deprive party of its rightful share

RAWALPINDI/ ISLAMABAD:

After rejecting the request of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) for reserved seats, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has started the process of allotting them to other parliamentary parties.

According to the notifications issued by the commission, three reserved seats for minorities in the National Assembly each have been distributed among the PML-N, PPP and JUI-F.

Similarly, three reserved seats for minorities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly have been allotted to the PML-N, PPP and JUI-F each.

The ECP has also issued a notification about the allotment of reserved seats for women in the Sindh Assembly.

PPP’s Sumeta Afzal Syed and MQM-P’s Fouzia Hameed have been allotted reserved seats for women.
Likewise, Sadhumal Surendar Valasai of the PPP has been allotted a reserved seat for minorities in the Sindh Assembly.

Sources said the allotment of other reserved seats would be carried out soon.
A day earlier, the ECP’s last year’s decision to strip the PTI of its election symbol came back to haunt the former ruling party once again. The polls oversight authority refused to allocate reserved seats to the SIC -- which comprises PTI backed lawmakers -- just because it had not submitted a “priority list” for them prior to polls. However, the PTI on Tuesday announced a nationwide protest against the ECP scheduled for March 10 (Sunday) in response to its decision to deprive the SIC of the reserved seats and their allocation to the PML-N and PPP instead.

Addressing the media outside Adiala Jail where PTI founding chairman Imran Khan is incarcerated, party leaders including Sher Afzal Marwat, Shandana Gulzar, Atif Khan, and Shehryar Afridi announced their dissatisfaction with the ECP's ruling.

They accused the commission of diverting the mandate given to the PTI by the voters to its rival parties, particularly the PML-N and PPP.

Read more: ECP deals another blow to PTI

The leaders argued that the allocation of reserved seats to other parties contradicted the will of the people who had voted for the PTI. They claimed that the ECP's decision was a blatant misuse of power and announced their intention to hold a nationwide protest against this alleged “injustice”.

The PTI leaders further criticised the state of Pakistan's economy, highlighting its dependence on foreign remittances and accusing the Sharif family of sending their wealth abroad. They claimed that with the support of overseas Pakistanis, the country could generate quick revenue, emphasising the need for a change in leadership.

In a bold move, the leaders demanded that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conduct an audit of the election process. They also challenged the legitimacy of the Shehbaz Sharif government, suggesting that if it was deemed legitimate, it should be granted loans.

Addressing the imprisonment of Imran’s wife, Bushra Bibi, the leaders claimed that she was being kept in solitary confinement. They maintained that Imran’ss refusal to make any deals and his determination to stay in jail for seven years.

Sher Afzal Marwat highlighted the opposition's unity in protests, promising a historic demonstration against the ECP in K-P, with himself leading the protest in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

The ECP had deprived the PTI of its popular electoral symbol—the cricket bat—on December 22, 2023 in view of irregularities in its intra-party polls. This decision was upheld by the Supreme Court on January 13, weeks before the February 8 general elections.

Due to the absence of an electoral symbol, the PTI had become ineligible to submit its priority list for reserved seats to the ECP while its candidates had to contest the last month’s elections as independents.

As independent candidates have to join a political party three days after the announcement of official election results, the PTI-backed candidates joined little-known SIC.

However, the SIC had neither applied for any reserved seat to the ECP -- a requirement under the law -- nor had it filed a priority list of candidates before the elections. The SIC later approached the ECP for allocation of reserved seats in proportion to its general seats in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. A five-member ECP bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja last week reserved its order on the petition after hearing the arguments.

On Monday, the commission unveiled its order stating that the SIC was not entitled to claim quota for reserved seats for women and minorities “due to having the non-curable legal defects and violation of mandatory provision of submission of priority list for reserved seats which is the requirement of law”.