In a significant legal victory for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Supreme Court of Pakistan has overturned the denial of reserved seats to the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah announced the 8-5 majority verdict on a petition filed by SIC, an ally of PTI.
The ruling nullifies the Peshawar High Court’s order that upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to deny the reserved seats to SIC. The Supreme Court declared the ECP’s decision unconstitutional and accepted SIC’s petition, recognizing the party’s eligibility for the allocation of reserved seats.
The bench ruled that PTI candidates cannot be declared independent or representatives of any other party and directed PTI to submit a list of reserved seats candidates to the ECP within 15 days. The full bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Isa, included 13 justices who participated in the decision.