ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday allocated one additional reserved seat in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), according to a news source.
According to the ECP’s decision, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have each secured nine reserved seats. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has obtained five seats, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) and the Awami National Party (ANP) have each received one reserved seat.
The ECP announced that a toss between PML-N and JUI-F will determine the allocation of the minority seat. It also rejected the objections raised by JUI-F regarding the reserved seats. Additionally, the Commission clarified that by-elections will not affect the number of reserved seats.
Acting on the directives of the Peshawar High Court, the ECP reassessed the allocation of reserved seats in the KP Assembly after the court declared the earlier allocation null and void. The PHC bench, while hearing a petition filed by the PML-N, ordered the ECP to re-evaluate the distribution of specially designated seats for minorities and women.
The court directed the Election Commission to consult all candidates and political parties within 10 days to determine the new allocation.
The Election Commission conducted a hearing on the matter and reserved its verdict on Monday.
The PML-N challenged the allocation of women and minority seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, arguing that the ECP had distributed the seats inequitably.
Barrister Saqib Raza submitted the PML-N’s petition, arguing that the Election Commission allocated 10 reserved seats to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) despite the party winning only seven general seats.
The petition stated that the PML-N also secured seven general seats in the KP Assembly but received only seven reserved seats, even though it had the same number of general seats as JUI-F.
The party stated that it initially won six general seats in the province, and one independent candidate joined its ranks within three days of the election, bringing the total to seven.
The petitioner argued that the ECP allocated reserved seats based only on the six original general seats, which the party considered unfair.
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