The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) adjourned an open hearing on Tuesday regarding the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) plea for the allocation of reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies. A five-member bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and including Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana, and Ikramullah Khan, is currently overseeing the proceedings.
Meanwhile, Barrister Gohar Khan, a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), expressed hope that the ECP would honor the electorate’s choices from February 8. Khan emphasized that the reserved seats rightfully belong to the SIC, dismissing claims from other political entities.
Under Section 104(1) of the Elections Act 2017, political parties vying for seats reserved for women and non-Muslims must submit separate candidate lists within the Commission’s designated timeframe. Recently, the PTI announced that its independent candidates securing seats in the National, KP, and Punjab assemblies would unite under the SIC banner.
Following a Supreme Court ruling revoking the PTI’s election symbol ‘bat’, candidates backed by the party participated independently in the recent election. However, in accordance with the Election Act 2017, successful independents must align with a political party within three days of notification.
