The Election Commission of Pakistan reserved on Wednesday its verdict on petitions pertaining to the allotmentof reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council.
The electoral watchdog was conducting a hearing on applications regarding the allotment of reserved seats to the SSIC – the party where most PTI-aligned independent lawmakers have taken refuge after the PTI lost its electoral symbol in the run-up to the February 8 elections.
The ECP, stating that the decision is “pending before the commission”, also put on hold the notifications for the 10 reserved seats for women in the National Assembly and 21 reserved seats for women in the K-P Assembly.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, lawyer Ali Zafar, and SIC Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza appeared before the electoral watchdog.
PTI’s Barrister Ali Zafar said that the Constitution of Pakistan stated that independent MNAs could join any political party and “it does not mean a parliamentary party”.
He further said that if SIC was denied its reserved seats, the elections for the Senate, office of prime minister, president, speaker and deputy speaker would be affected.
However, the ECP reminded the PTI representatives that a list of candidates for reserved seats should be submitted before polls, which the SIC had failed to do.
