ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan has decided to implement the Supreme Court’s decision regarding allocating specific seats to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
An important meeting was held today at the Election Commission of Pakistan regarding the implementation of the Supreme Court’s order. As per ECP spokesperson, the commission has told its legal team to make sure the Supreme Court decision is carried out.
The spokesperson clarified that the ECP has not misinterpreted the SC’s verdict and has not deemed the intra-party elections as valid.
Instead, the commission has determined that the PTI’s intra-party elections were not conducted according to the law, and thus, candidates who submitted their nomination papers without a party ticket and declaration could not be recognized as PTI candidates.
The spokesperson emphasized that the ECP is dedicated to upholding the law and the Constitution, regardless of any pressure or criticism from political parties.
The commission has also explained that it has not changed its position on the issue and has not given any unfair advantage to any party.
A 13-member bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, ruled that the PTI is eligible for the allocation of reserved seats, delivering a significant setback to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah announced the 8-5 majority verdict, overturning the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) order that had upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision denying the reserved seats to the SIC.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Jamal Mandokhail, Justice Naeem Afghan, Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice Ameenuddin Khan dissented from the majority decision.
