Imran Khan’s party will approach Supreme Court after denial of reserved seat – Dainik Savera Times

Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party has announced that a court has rejected Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC)’s petition challenging the Election Commission’s decision to allot seats reserved for it in the national and provincial assemblies to other parties. After leaving she will approach the Supreme Court. Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) suffered a setback when the Peshawar High Court, while hearing the SIC petition on Thursday, unanimously rejected it.

The bench heard arguments for two consecutive days, passed a short order on Thursday and dismissed the two petitions filed by SIC. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), in a 4-1 majority decision, on March 4 dashed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed SIC’s hopes of securing seats. The Commission had cited irremediable legal defects and violation of mandatory provisions in the submission of party lists for reserved seats.

After the bench’s decision, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan had told reporters outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Thursday that the former ruling party would approach the Supreme Court to claim its share in the reserved seats. Gohar urged the apex court to constitute a larger bench to hear the case. SIC had requested the court to direct the Election Commission of Pakistan to allot reserved seats on the basis of their numbers in Parliament.

It had also challenged Section 104 of the Election Act which deals with mandatory submission of priority list of candidates by a political party for reserved seats. On March 6, the court had given interim relief to the SIC and directed the Speaker of the National Assembly not to administer the oath to the eight MPs elected on reserved seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.