ECP Awards Additional Reserved Seat to PML-N in KP Assembly

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has granted an additional reserved seat in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). This decision follows the rejection of similar requests from two other political parties.

The ruling was detailed in a 15-page judgment by a five-member bench, presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. This action was taken in response to directives from the Peshawar High Court (PHC) to reconsider the distribution of reserved seats.

As a result of this adjustment, PML-N’s total number of general seats in KP now aligns with that of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), thus qualifying PML-N for the allocation of an additional reserved seat.

According to the order, recalculating the quota for reserved seats for women and non-Muslims after the seats have already been allocated to political parties is not in accordance with the Constitution and relevant laws. The decision to calculate the quota for reserved seats based on the party’s position on 22-02-2025 aimed to prevent ongoing disputes.

The ECP accepted PML-N’s request concerning independent candidate Malik Tariq Awan, who officially joined the party within three days of the election notification, fulfilling constitutional requirements. However, similar claims made by PTI-P were rejected.

Regarding the ANP’s petition for another seat, the commission clarified that including results from bye-elections is not within the spirit of the Constitution. Approving this petition would lead to continuous recalculations and fluctuations of seats over time.

The ECP had previously reserved its decision on petitions submitted by PML-N, JUI-F, and other parties regarding the allocation of reserved seats in the KP Assembly on Monday.

The PHC had nullified the ECP’s notification concerning the distribution of reserved seats for women and minorities in the KP Assembly on July 8. The court’s decision was based on a petition by the PMLN challenging the initial allocation. The court instructed the ECP to reallocate the seats after consulting with all relevant parties within a 10-day period and suspended the oath-taking of lawmakers on these reserved seats pending the ECP’s final decision.

JUI-F leader and lawyer Kamran Murtaza stated that all political parties had presented their arguments before the commission. He noted that PML-N had requested a larger share of reserved seats, particularly after independent candidate Tariq Awan joined their party.