ISLAMABAD: Following a formal announcement of an alliance, 82 candidates backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have formally joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC). This strategic move aims to secure PTI’s representation in the reserved seats of national and provincial assemblies.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has confirmed this development. These candidates, comprising 82 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and nine from the Sindh Assembly, had previously submitted affidavits and party certificates. The SIC has been directed by the ECP to promptly provide a priority list for the reserved seats.
In a separate development, PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan called for the resignation of ECP Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja amidst ongoing political controversies. He said that the necessity for transparent accountability regarding alleged election irregularities, expressing dissatisfaction with the performance of the electoral watchdog.
Khan highlighted concerns over the controversy surrounding the ECP CEC and criticized the watchdog’s failure to fulfill its electoral responsibilities. He advocated for transparent processes such as organizing Form 47 in alignment with Form 45.
Regarding negotiations with the Sunni Ittehad Council, Khan confirmed reaching an agreement and mentioned that a list of 50 MNAs was submitted to the ECP.
Khan reiterated PTI’s victory on 180 National Assembly seats and emphasized the need for the protection of former commissioner Liaquat Chatta and his family.
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 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.
