The Supreme Court’s full bench has begun hearing a petition from the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), an ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), challenging the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) decision denying it reserved seats for women and minorities.
Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, the 13-member bench includes all available judges except Justice Musarrat Hilali, who is absent due to a heart condition.
Previously, on May 6, a three-member SC bench suspended the PHC’s verdict and referred the matter to a larger bench for constitutional interpretation.
In its written order, the court emphasized the foundational constitutional concept of parliamentary democracy, stating that the allocation of reserved seats in national and provincial assemblies must ensure the true reflection of the electorate’s voice and uphold fairness and transparency in the electoral process. The court granted leave to appeal.
The dispute arose after the PHC rejected SIC’s request for reserved seats. SIC’s chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza and the KP Assembly speaker filed appeals in the apex court against the PHC’s judgment, seeking to secure 67 women and 11 minority seats in the assemblies.
Following the February 8 general elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan declined to allocate reserved seats to SIC, as it had not submitted its list of candidates. However, the PHC’s decision was suspended upon challenge in the Supreme Court.
Subsequently, the ECP suspended the victory notifications of 77 lawmakers elected on reserved seats denied to SIC.
SIC, led by Hamid Raza, gained prominence after PTI-backed independent candidates joined it, having been deprived of their electoral symbol “bat”.
However, PTI’s attempt to claim reserved seats was rejected by the commission in March, citing legal defects and a violation of mandatory provisions. The commission redistributed the seats among other parties.
