The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is going to meet today to talk about the latest explanation from the Supreme Court about the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) reserved seats. Sources say the meeting will start at 11 a.m. and will be led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.
This high-level talk comes after the Supreme Court said the ECP’s request for help with the reserved seats ruling was a “dilatory tactic” and turned it down. The court’s answer came after the ECP asked for more information about its decision, which sided with the PTI.
Eight judges, including Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Munib Akhtar, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Ayesha A. Malik, Athar Minallah, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Shahid Waheed, and Irfan Saadat Khan, gave a ruling that was against the ECP’s actions. The judges said, “Given the record and the short time, it’s clear that the commission’s request for clarification is a made-up device and an attempt to delay the case.”
The 13-person Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, said that the PTI should get the reserved seats. This overturned the earlier ruling by the Peshawar High Court, which said that the ECP should not get these seats. This decision is a big setback for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s unity government.
The 8-5 majority finding, which overturned the previous PHC decision, was read out by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah. Not all judges agreed, though. Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, along with Justices Jamal Mandokhail, Naeem Afghan, Yahya Afridi, and Ameenuddin Khan, were against what most of the judges decided.
The ECP meeting today could have big political effects because the commission is looking at the Supreme Court’s instructions on the controversial subject of reserved seats.