- Meeting, also attended by NA secretary, apparently falls short of any decision on reserved seats due to absence of Punjab member
ISLAMABAD: A crucial meeting of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on reserved seats concluded inconclusive following another clarification from the majority eight judge of the apex court, reiterating that the amended Election Act can’t undermine its July 12 verdict retroactively.
The ECP meeting, also attended by the National Assembly Secretary, was expected to lead to a significant development regarding reserved seats on Friday.
However, it failed to make any headway apparently due to the absence of the Punjab member.
The National Assembly Secretary was present at the ECP for the meeting. It was anticipated that the decision made during this session would clarify whether the reserved seats would go to the ruling coalition or to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as per the Supreme Court’s decision.
The government and its allied parties had summoned the notified members for additional reserved seats to the federal capital. Meanwhile, the Speaker of the National Assembly had sent a letter to the Election Commission requesting these seats be allocated to other parties.
It is noteworthy that the Election Commission has suspended the members holding additional reserved seats based on the Supreme Court’s ruling. If the Election Commission decides to allocate these seats to the ruling coalition and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), they will secure a two-thirds majority.
Furthermore, the Election Commission has also filed a review petition regarding the Supreme Court’s decision on reserved seats.
Previously, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had issued a detailed 70-page verdict declaring the ECP decision on reserved seats unconstitutional.
The judgment, written by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, also annulled a previous ruling by the Peshawar High Court (PHC), affirming that the reserved seats should be allocated to the PTI.
The verdict was delivered by an 8-5 majority of a full bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. Judges like Justices Yahya Afridi, Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and Naeem Akhtar Afghan dissented, emphasising the importance of proportional representation.
