ISLAMABAD – After inclusion of PTI-backed independent candidates, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) on Tuesday formally filed a request in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to request the allocation of reserved seats.
The SIC said that approximately 50 independent candidates supported by the PTI joined , and asked it to recognize them as its members.
The SIC also asked the ECP to grant the designated [reserved] seats for women and minority communities.
The development took place a day after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders announced their alliance with Sunni Itehad Council and Majlis-e-Wahdatul-Muslimeen (MWM).
The PTI leaders including Omar Ayub Khan and Barrister Gohar Khan held a joint press conference with the leaders of SIC and MWM in Islamabad.
Barrister Gohar claimed that his party had achieved victory on 180 seats in the National Assembly.
He mentioned that PTI-backed independent candidates who emerged victorious in the National Assembly, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies would join the SIC. He stressed that this alliance was established in the best interests of the nation.
On the same day, PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan announced that PTI-backed independent candidates, who had secured victory in the general elections across the National Assembly, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, would join the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) as affiliated members.
This decision was formalized through a mutual agreement with the SIC. Gohar stated during a press briefing, “Our successful candidates have pledged their support, and today we announce that PTI-backed candidates are affiliating with the Sunni Ittehad Council.”
Gohar also mentioned that the PTI would submit relevant documentation to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to facilitate the allocation of reserved seats based on party strength. PTI leader Omar Ayub echoed similar sentiments, stating that joining the SIC would bolster the party’s representation in the National Assembly. Ayub, PTI’s nominee for the position of prime minister, indicated that this strategic move would position the party to form the government.
He explained that the allocation of reserved seats in the federal and provincial legislatures depended on the strength of political parties in the assemblies. Therefore, to secure their reserved seats and protect their members, a formal agreement was reached for PTI candidates to join the SIC.
