ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday reinstated reserved seats for women and minorities in the national and provincial assemblies, following a verdict by the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench. The move significantly benefits the ruling coalition, which has received the majority of the reallocated seats.
The Supreme Court accepted review petitions and ruled that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is not entitled to the reserved seats, thereby redistributing them among coalition partners, including PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, and others.
In the National Assembly, five women’s reserved seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were restored—two awarded to PML-N, and one to JUI-F. From Punjab, eleven women’s seats were reinstated, with 10 going to PML-N and one to PPP.
Additionally, three minority seats in the National Assembly were reallocated—one each to PML-N, PPP, and JUI-F.
In the KP Assembly, 21 women’s reserved seats were reinstated: 8 for JUI-F, 6 for PML-N, 5 for PPP, and one each for PTI Parliamentarians and ANP.
Four minority seats in the KP Assembly were also restored, with 2 given to JUI-F, and 1 each to PML-N and PPP.
This development reshapes the composition of legislative houses, consolidating the ruling alliance’s strength while sidelining PTI from key representational roles.
