PTI asks SC to have verdict on reserved seats enforced

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday requested the Supreme Court to ensure implementation of its judgement delivered on July 12, holding that the party was entitled to get reserved seats of women and minorities in the National and provincial assemblies.

The PTI filed a Civil Miscellaneous Application (CMA) in the apex court through its counsel Uzair Bandhari in response of the plea filed by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seeking guidance of certain legal and factual issues related to court’s July 12 order in the appeal filed by Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC)

The PTI also submitted its reply in the in the CMA filed by the ECP regarding the order. It prayed the apex court to dismiss the ECP application with the direction to the electoral body to accept the affiliations/ confirmations, signed by Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Omer Ayub the elected chairman and general secretary of the party respectively, and to implement the directions issued through the July 12 short order in letter and spirit.

It was submitted that the ECP filed the CMA purportedly in terms of para 7 to 10 of the order. In the CMA the ECP averred (wrongly) that “the Commission is facing difficulty to implement the order ibid as the PTI at the moment has no organisational structure for confirmation of statements of MNAS/ MPAs,” the PTI submitted

The application is nothing but an attempt by the ECP to circumvent and delay the implementation of the order, the party said, adding that the CMA was filed with mala fide intentions, solely to deny the PTI its rightful share of the reserved seats.

“The said contention by ECP could not be further from the truth. PTI’s organisational structure is very much in place; PTI has taken all necessary steps and is in full compliance with the applicable law.” It was further submitted that the PTI held its intra-party elections and submitted the requisite certificate and documents in terms of Section 209 of the Elections Act 2017 with the ECP.