News Desk

Islamabad: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has overturned the denial of reserved seats to the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), marking a significant legal victory for Imran Khan’s party. The 13-member bench, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, announced the verdict.

The court declared that the withdrawal of an election symbol cannot disqualify a political party from participating in elections. This means the PTI remains a recognized political party.

Previously, in March, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled in a 4-1 decision that the SIC was not entitled to reserved seats due to “non-curable legal defects” and failing to submit a party list for these seats. The ECP redistributed these seats, benefiting the PML-N, PPP, and JUI-F with additional seats. PTI rejected this decision as unconstitutional.

In response, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) also dismissed an SIC plea against the ECP’s decision. The SIC then petitioned the Supreme Court in April, led by party chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza, seeking to overturn the PHC judgment.

On May 6, the Supreme Court suspended the PHC judgment and the ECP decision, restoring SIC’s claim to reserved seats for women and minorities. The court also ordered a larger bench to hear the case, as it involved the interpretation of constitutional provisions.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, the ECP suspended the victory notifications of 77 national and provincial assembly members elected to these seats.