ISLAMABAD: In a significant legal blow to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that the party is not eligible for reserved seats allocated for women and minorities in both national and provincial legislatures. The verdict was delivered on Friday by a 10-member constitutional bench led by Justice Aminuddin Khan, which rejected PTI’s petitions challenging an earlier decision.
The judgment reversed the Supreme Court's July 12, 2024, ruling, which had previously declared PTI entitled to these reserved seats. Justice Aminuddin Khan stated that all review petitions filed by Justices Mussarat Hilali, Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Shahid Bilal Hassan, Hashim Khan Kakar, Aamir Farooq, and Ali Baqar Najafi had been accepted. As a result, the previous majority verdict was annulled, and the ruling by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) was reinstated.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had filed review appeals against the July 2024 decision, arguing that the PTI, having contested elections under the platform of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), should not be granted reserved seats. The Supreme Court’s new verdict supports their stance.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, announcing the 8-5 majority judgment, emphasized that the PHC's ruling upholding the ECP’s denial of reserved seats to SIC stands restored. This decision significantly affects PTI’s parliamentary representation, stripping the party of a major advantage in the assemblies.
