ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court’s constitutional bench on Monday questioned the legitimacy of awarding reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), noting that the party neither contested the 2024 general elections nor holds any parliamentary presence. The live-streamed hearing was headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan and included 11 judges.
Justice Musarrat Hilali raised critical concerns, asking how independent candidates could join a political party that wasn’t part of Parliament in the first place. “Did the Sunni Ittehad Council even contest the elections?” she asked. The bench emphasized that reserved seats are given based on a party’s electoral performance and parliamentary presence.
Senior lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan, representing de-notified female MNAs, argued that SIC members were de-notified without any prior notice. He said that while the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling supported PTI’s claim to seats, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had failed to implement it. Justice Hilali reiterated that proportional representation is at the heart of the matter, not post-election affiliations.
Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail clearly stated that SIC is not entitled to reserved seats, reinforcing the view that constitutional rules must guide such decisions. The bench also questioned whether Article 225, which handles election disputes, applied to this case about reserved seat allocation — suggesting it may not.
At the center of this legal battle is the July 12, 2024, Supreme Court decision, which declared 39 MNAs as PTI candidates. If implemented, it would make PTI the largest party in Parliament. However, the National Assembly has yet to act on the verdict, and review petitions have been filed by the PML-N, PPP, and ECP.
The hearing also spotlighted the ECP’s controversial role. The court previously criticized the ECP for multiple “unlawful acts” that allegedly harmed PTI’s electoral position. The case was adjourned until Tuesday, with SIC’s counsel expected to present arguments in the next session.