SC declares PTI eligible for reserved seats

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday while nullifying the verdict of Peshawar High Court (PHC) declared the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) as eligible for the reserved seats.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah announced the 8-5 majority verdict which was reserved previously. The court annulled the decision of Peshawar High Court (PHC) that upheld the order of Election Commission of Pakistan for denying the reserved seats to PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Syed Hassan Rizvi, and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan also favored the judgment.

In its ruling, the court said that denial of election symbol doesn’t affect the constitution or the legal right of a political party to participate in an election and to to field candidates.

The commission is under a constitutional duty to apply all statutory provisions accordingly.

The top court remarked that PTI, as a political party, has a legal and constitutional right to reserved seats.

Rejecting the appeals filed by the SIC, the apex court said that the party cannot take reserved seats as per the Constitution.

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The full bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, also comprises Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Mazhar, Justice Minallah, Justice Syed Rizvi, Justice Malik, Justice Waheed, Justice Saadat, and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.