ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has once again approached the Supreme Court (SC), seeking clarification on the allocation of reserved seats for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
In a review petition, the ECP is challenging the Supreme Court's majority clarification issued on September 14, following a verdict on July 12.
The ECP clarified that it was not responsible for the delay in the SC’s clarification, as it had already challenged the July 12 verdict on July 25, but the clarification came two months later. The ECP also noted that neither PTI nor the election body was notified about certain PTI-related documents relevant to the case.
In the July 12 ruling, the SC, by a majority of 8 to 5, decided that PTI was entitled to the seats reserved for women and minorities, which the ECP had previously allocated to other political parties.
The judges who supported the majority verdict—Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan later issued a clarification.
The court's clarification stated that, based on the available records and the original order, the ECP's request for further clarification seemed to be a delay tactic. The judges criticized the ECP for inconsistency, pointing out that after recognizing Barrister Gohar Ali Khan as the PTI chairman, the commission cannot now seek further guidance on how to handle the relevant certifications.
The judges highlighted that the ECP cannot adopt contradictory positions to serve its immediate needs.
