ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan federal government has requested the Supreme Court of Pakistan to reject the opposition party Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) petition seeking reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies. Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed a plea in the top court to become a party in the case, hearing by the 13-member larger bench of the Supreme Court
The Attorney General submitted a written response to the apex court, urging it to dismiss the SIC’s plea. The Attorney General argued that the SIC did not participate in the general elections and was not recognized as a parliamentary party during the allocation of reserved seats.
“Therefore, the SIC is not eligible for reserved seats,” asserted the government’s chief legal advisor.
The Attorney General further contended that even if independent candidates were to align with the SIC, they would still retain their independent status.
“Reserved seats can only be allocated to a party that has secured seats in the general elections and has submitted a priority list to the Election Commission of Pakistan,” the Attorney General emphasized.
The government’s submission also upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision not to allot reserved seats to the SIC.
In an earlier hearing on Monday, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa questioned why Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had “committed suicide” by joining the SIC.
CJP Isa made these remarks while presiding over a full bench hearing the SIC’s appeal against a Peshawar High Court ruling on reserved seats.
During the proceedings, CJP Isa recalled past events, stating, “Remember the time when we gave them the election date,” referring to PTI’s attempts to delay elections and their petition to the Lahore High Court on the matter.
The Chief Justice also highlighted concerns about intra-party elections within PTI and emphasized adherence to constitutional provisions regarding reserved seats.
In its response to the Supreme Court, the Election Commission of Pakistan reiterated that the SIC, led by Hamid Raza, had failed to submit a list of nominees for reserved seats by the December 24 deadline.
The ECP clarified that it had informed independent candidates who joined the SIC post-elections about its decision not to allocate reserved seats. The ECP’s decision received a 4-1 verdict and was upheld by the Peshawar High Court, the election watchdog affirmed.
The ECP also addressed constitutional concerns regarding the SIC’s exclusion of non-Muslims from its membership, deeming it unconstitutional and reaffirming that the party is ineligible for reserved seats designated for women and minorities.
