No action on reserved seats until Election Commission acts: Ayaz Sadiq

National Assembly Speaker questions how members joining the SIC could retroactively change party affiliation.

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National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has stated that no action regarding reserved seats can be taken until the Election Commission issues a formal notification. Ayaz Sadiq stated that he will not comply with the Supreme Court's order regarding the reserved seats case

Speaking to a private TV channel, Sadiq expressed concerns about members who have recently joined the Sunni Ittehad Council, questioning how they can retroactively affiliate with another party.

He further highlighted that changes have been made to election laws, prompting him to ask whether the Parliament does not possess the same authority as the Supreme Court to amend the constitution.

The issue arises amid ongoing discussions about party loyalty and the implications of recent shifts among members within the National Assembly.

“It is the Election Commission’s job to notify members,” he said. “If we start listening to courts, there are many decisions … We won’t do it on the court’s order; we will wait for the ECP to notify it,” he added.

Sadiq clarified that he would acknowledge court orders but would not act on them without an ECP notification.

In July, the Supreme Court declared the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) eligible to receive reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in national and provincial assemblies, which bolstered the party's position in the legislature.

“The court told them (the PTI) that they could affiliate with a party after 15 days, so the PTI members went ahead and joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) … so floor crossing was allowed,” Sadiq noted.

He remarked that had the PTI candidates not joined the SIC, the outcome would have been entirely different. “Instead, the court gave them 15 days, rewriting the Constitution,” he stated.

Sadiq added that since the Constitution has been amended, the Supreme Court has diminished authority to make rulings on such matters. “If the court said that we cannot take a decision because it’s backdated, we can respond that their decision was also backdated,” he claimed.

When asked if he favours the ECP over the apex court, Sadiq affirmed that he prefers waiting for the ECP’s directives on parliamentary issues, despite being informed of court decisions.

“Once we receive a notification from the ECP, we apply our minds and take a decision.”

Sadiq expressed that the Supreme Court cannot challenge the recently passed 26th constitutional amendment, stating that doing so would contravene the Constitution.

Earlier in the week, a request was made to the Supreme Court to strike down the 26th Amendment, with petitioners seeking an inquiry by a judicial commission to determine if the two-thirds majority was achieved voluntarily or through unlawful inducement.

Sadiq condemned this move, reiterating that while the court interprets the Constitution, it cannot rewrite it. “It is baked into the rules,” he stated. “The court cannot challenge constitutional amendments, as that would violate the Constitution. However, the calls to challenge the amendment are growing quieter.”