Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan is entitled to 23 separate reserved seats in the Parliament.
Parliamentary elections were held in Pakistan on February 8 this year. In it, PTI-backed candidates contested as independents. Because PTI as a party was not allowed to participate in elections. PTI supporters won the most seats in this election. However, the Election Commission of the country said that PTI will not get the 70 reserved seats in the Parliament. Because their candidates participated in the elections as independents.
The election commission gave these seats to the parties of the ruling coalition government instead of PTI.
However, in the judgment given on Friday (July 12), the Chief Justice of Pakistan said, “PTI will get reserved seats as a political party.”
The 13-judge bench ruled that 8 judges were in favor of PTI and 5 judges were against it.
Pakistan’s Law Minister Azam Nazir told reporters at the Star that even if PTI was given 23 reserved seats, it would not change its majority in Parliament.
Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government still holds more than 200 of the 336 seats in Pakistan’s lower house of parliament.
According to the country’s constitution, the parliament will have 70 reserved seats. Out of which 60 will be allocated for women and 10 for non-Muslims.
Ahmed Bilal Mehbub, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency think tank, said Shehbar’s coalition government expected to have a two-thirds majority in parliament. But their hopes have been dashed by the Supreme Court’s verdict.
Pakistani media reported that PTI can return to Parliament through this court ruling. Because the court declared, PTI still exists as a political party. Although they were not allowed to choose their own symbols.
Source: Reuters
