ISLAMABAD: Amidst prolonged controversy surrounding concerns of shifting loyalties, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) submitted the joining certificates of the majority of its independent members aligning with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday.
As per information provided by the PTI Secretariat in Islamabad, a total of 86 independent members have pledged allegiance to the Sunni Ittehad Council before moving to the National Assembly. Moreover, senior PTI members submitted certificates for 105 members of the Sunni Unity Council for the Punjab Assembly and 85 members for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
It’s noteworthy that in the General Election 2024, approximately 93 candidates supported by PTI won their seats in the National Assembly. While a few candidates shifted their loyalties to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and some are still to decide, the majority of these members remained steadfast with the party and have now joined the Sunni Ittehad Council.
It is pertinent to mention here that PTI had fielded independent candidates in the February 8 general elections after the Supreme Court’s decision to strip the party of its election symbol.
As a result of the election, PTI-backed independent candidates secured93 seats in the National Assembly, 87 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 116 seats in Punjab, and 14 in Sindh Assembly.
To secure its share in the reserved seats of national and provincial assemblies, PTI formed an alliance with Sunni Ittehad Council.
The National Assembly has 70 reserved seats for women and minorities, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 30 reserved seats, and Punjab has 74 reserved seats.
Following the announcement of the February 8 general election results, the process of government formation and seat allocation in provincial assemblies has begun.
The ECP has outlined procedures for distributing reserved seats among successful political parties, as well as for government formation. According to these procedures:
In the Punjab Assembly, one seat will be allocated for women for every nine general seats, and one for minorities for every 37.12% of total seats.
In the Sindh Assembly, one seat will be reserved for women for every 4.48% of total seats, and one for minorities for every 14.44%.
In the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly, one seat will be reserved for women for every 4.42% of total seats, and one for minorities for every 29 general seats.
In the Balochistan Assembly, one seat will be reserved for women for every 4.63% of total seats, and one for minorities for every 17 general seats.
PTI to Intra-Party Hold Election
According to information, PTI also announced to hold the intra-party elections across the country within the next two weeks, that could help the party to run the official business ahead.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had previously invalidated PTI’s intra-party elections on two occasions, followed by a final decision by the Suprem Court of Pakistan.
