PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday, seeking reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies.
The petition filed by Mashal Yousafzai through senior lawyer Qazi Anwar named the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as a respondent, demanding the adjustment of candidates who submitted nomination papers for reserve seats and underwent scrutiny.
PTI argued that, as a listed party, they had the right to reserve seats and claimed all candidates seeking tickets on these seats were PTI members who submitted affidavits accordingly. They emphasized that only the Supreme Court holds the authority to delist parties.
Additionally, PTI requested an urgent hearing for the petition.
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.
PTI-backed Candidates in National and Provincial Assemblies
As a result of the election, PTI-backed independent candidates secured 87 seats in the provincial assembly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 116 seats in Punjab, and 94 seats in the national assembly across the country.
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.
Earlier today, PTI announced that its party-backed independents, who secured seats in the National, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab assemblies, will be joining the Sunni Ittehad Council to secure its share in reserved seats. The announcement was made by PTI leader Barrister Gohar Khan during a press conference held today, where he announced that the candidates have formally submitted their affidavits to the party, signaling their consent to join the Sunni Ittehad Council.
Under the Election Act, 2017, independent elected representatives are mandated to join a political party within three days of notification, leading to this strategic move by the PTI.
