Naek to represent PPP in reserved seats case

SC to resume hearing SIC’s appeal against a PHC order on June 3

ISLAMABAD:

The PPP has enlisted the services of Senator Farooq H Naek regarding the suspension of additional reserved seats granted to the government alliance. Naek has submitted a power of attorney on behalf of the PPP in the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court is set to hear the case concerning the reserved seats of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) on June 3. The court had previously issued notices to all political parties involved in the case.

Admitting an appeal filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), a three-member bench of the Supreme Court on May 6 suspended a Peshawar High Court (PHC) order for allocation of additional reserved seats to different political parties in national and provincial legislatures.

The bench led by SC’s senior puisne judge Mansoor Ali Shah and comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah also issued notices to all respondents as it referred the matter to a three-member SC committee for formation of a larger bench.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on December 22, 2023 stripped the PTI of its election symbol in view of irregularities in its intra-party elections. The SC later upheld the ECP order and the party had to field its candidates as independents in the February 8 general elections.

Read SC spends PHC's seats allocation order

Later, the PTI backed independents joined the SIC and applied to the ECP for allocation of seats reserved for women and minorities in the national and provincial legislatures.

The ECP, however, on March 4 dismissed the request, noting that the SIC had not submitted its priority list of candidates for reserved seats prior to the polls. The SIC challenged the order in the PHC which on March 14 upheld the ECP’s decision. The SIC later approached the SC against the order.

In its three-page written order, the SC noted that the question of allocation of reserved seats touch upon the foundational constitutional concept of a parliamentary democracy that the voice of the electorate is truly reflected in the composition of the assemblies.

“Democratic mandate necessitates that the allocation of reserved seats enhances the representativeness of the electorate in the assemblies and upholds the principles of fairness and transparency in the electoral process.

“It is paramount to prioritize the integrity of the elections so that the parliament remains a true reflection of the will of the people,” said the order authored by Justice Shah.