Supreme Court Rules ECP’s Decision Unconstitutional, PTI Awarded Reserved Seats in National Assembly

In a landmark ruling on Monday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared that the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision dated March 1 was contrary to the constitution and awarded reserved seats in the National Assembly to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The detailed judgment, written by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, spans 70 pages and annulled both the ECP and Peshawar High Court’s decisions. The court emphasized that the ECP’s ruling had no legal standing and failed to uphold its constitutional obligations.

The Supreme Court ordered the ECP to notify the winning PTI candidates and complete the process for the remaining 41 Members of National Assembly (MNAs) within 15 days. The judgment further emphasized that the PTI, as a political party that contested the February 8 elections, was entitled to the reserved seats.

The court also expressed concern over the rise of independent candidates in the parliamentary system, questioning how they could succeed in a system built on political party structures. The PTI had previously argued that the independent candidates were, in fact, PTI-affiliated, and voters chose them based on this affiliation.

The judgment reaffirmed the vital role of the ECP as a democratic institution and underscored its duty to ensure a fair electoral process. It criticized the ECP’s failure to perform its duties and ruled that denying any political party its right to contest elections was a violation of the constitution.