No reserved seats for PTI backed Sunni Ittehad Council: Election Commission

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected the request of the Sunni Ittehad Council on the issue of reserved seats.

The issue of reserved seats came to light after independent candidates of Tehreek-e-Insaf joined the Sunni Ittehad Council. On the plea of ​​the Sunni Unity Council, the ECP ruled that it could not get the quota of reserved seats for women and minorities.

The decision said that the Election Commission informed all political parties that they needed to submit their names for the reserved and minority seats, but the Sunni Ittehad Council did not do so.

The Election Commission in its decision also stated that it is a legal requirement to provide the list of specific seats before the elections, and the failure of the Sunni Ittehad Council to provide the list of specific seats on time is a legal defect.

The ECP ruling stated that the chairman of the Sunni Ittehad Council contested the election as an independent despite the election symbol and the party confirmed that its candidates had contested as an independent.

The decision said that it has clearly stated in Article 51 of the Constitution that the political parties who win seats in the National Assembly will be entitled to specific seats. The decision was a 4 – 1 dissent, with Member Punjab Babar Hasan Bharwana, writing a dissenting note.

Bharwana said in a dissenting note that he agrees with the four members that the seats cannot be given to the Sunni Ittehad Council. But these specific seats cannot be distributed among other political parties and these seats should be kept vacant under Article 51 and 106 of the Constitution. He also said that the seats should be kept vacant until Article 51 and 106 of the Constitution are amended.