ECP Reserves Verdict on KP Assembly Reserved Seats
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reserved its decision on petitions submitted by PML-N, JUI-F, and other parties concerning the allocation of reserved seats within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly.
A four-member ECP bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, withheld the verdict after hearing arguments presented by all involved parties.
During the session, legal representatives from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), and various other parties presented their cases before the electoral body.
Previously, on July 8, the PHC invalidated the ECP’s notification regarding the division of reserved seats for women and minorities in the KP Assembly. This ruling followed a petition from the PMLN that contested the allocation.
The court instructed the ECP to reallocate the seats, ensuring all relevant parties were heard within a 10-day timeframe. Additionally, the court suspended the oath-taking of lawmakers elected to these reserved seats pending the ECP’s final determination.
Speaking to reporters outside the ECP office in Islamabad, JUI-F leader and lawyer Kamran Murtaza stated that all political entities had the opportunity to present their arguments before the commission during the hearing.
He noted that PML-N had requested a larger share of reserved seats, especially after independent candidate Tariq Awan joined their party.
Murtaza clarified that the number of reserved seats assigned to a party would not increase if independent candidates joined after the prescribed legal period, as per the seat distribution rules.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the opposition alliance is nearing a simple majority and needs only 20 more seats to shift the balance of power in the provincial assembly after the reserved seats decision.
The PTI-led government currently possesses 92 seats, while the opposition now holds 53 seats.
The KP Assembly comprises a total of 145 seats, with 115 currently occupied by elected members. Of the remaining 30, 26 are reserved for women and four for minorities.
Earlier, on July 2, the ECP had reinstated 74 of 77 reserved seats, including 19 National Assembly members, 27 Punjab Assembly members, 25 KP Assembly members, and 3 Sindh Assembly members.
This action followed the Supreme Court’s June 27 decision, in which a constitutional bench accepted review petitions concerning reserved seats through a majority vote.
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