Pakistan election commission to implement SC order on reserved seats to Imran Khan's party
The Hindu
Imran Khan’s PTI party will become the largest party in Pakistan after its EC implements the SC order on allotting reserved seats to them.
Pakistan’s election commission will implement the Supreme Court’s order on allotting reserved seats to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, a media report said on Saturday, a decision which will allow the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to become the largest party in Parliament.
Last week, a 13-member full bench of the Supreme Court, in a key 8-5 judgment, ruled that 71-year-old Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was eligible for the seats reserved for women and minorities in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies.
The PTI will become the largest party in the National Assembly as its seats will soar from 86 to 109 after it gains 23 seats reserved for women and minorities.
In a statement released on Friday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said the decision to implement the apex court’s order was taken after the electoral body held two meetings on Thursday and Friday to deliberate on the reserved seats case verdict, Geo News reported.
Directives were issued to the electoral watchdog’s legal team to immediately “identify” any obstacle in the verdict’s implementation so that the apex court could be approached for guidance, the statement said.
“Moreover, the commission strongly condemned and rejected the undue criticism of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and honourable members by a political party,” it said, in a veiled remark against the PTI.
“Demanding the resignation [of CEC and members] is ridiculous,” the statement added.