PTI moves Supreme Court against Election Act Amendment Bill

PTI chief Gohar submits petition under Article 184(3) through lawyer; Federal govt, ECP named respondents

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ISLAMABAD':

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday, challenging the recently approved Election Act Amendment Bill in the National Assembly and requesting it be declared null and void.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan submitted the petition to the top court under Article 184(3) through Advocate Salman Akram Raja, naming the federal government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as respondents.

The petition argues that the bill, which was approved by a majority vote yesterday despite strong protests and objections from opposition parties, is "unconstitutional and illegal".

PTI has also moved the apex court to immediately halt the electoral watchdog from allocating reserved seats to other political parties.

"The PTI has already submitted lists for the reserved seats to the Election Commission," the petition stated.

The party demands that women and non-Muslim reserved seats be allotted to PTI, asserting their entitlement to these seats following the Supreme Court's July 12 decision.

The top court's July 12 decision, delivered by a 13-judge full bench, handed a major blow to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's ruling coalition by declaring that the opposition party PTI is entitled to reserved seats for women and non-Muslims.

Yesterday, In a statement delivered on the floor of the National Assembly (NA), Gohar criticised the bill, asserting that it undermines democratic principles.

"This parliament is indeed supreme, but the authority to interpret lies with the Supreme Court," Gohar maintained.

He emphasised the PTI's commitment to challenging what he described as a "politically motivated" piece of legislation.

On July 19, ECP announced its decision to implement the SC's ruling which facilitated the PTI-backed MNAs to take part in the assembly’s proceedings under the umbrella of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rather than the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

In a press release, the electoral watchdog confirmed its commitment to comply with the court's directive but instructed its legal team to identify any implementation obstacles promptly.