PHC rejects SIC plea challenging ECP’s reserved seats verdict

The Peshawar High Court has dismissed the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) petition challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision on allocation of reserved seats the party.

The hearing was resumed by a five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan.

Justice Ijaz Anwar, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, Justice Shakeel Ahmad and Justice Arshad Ali, were the other members of the bench.

SIC’s counsel Barrister Ali Zafar argued that the Constitution does not mention when a party has to submit a list of names for reserved seats to the electoral body.

“It is not written anywhere that you cannot resubmit the list or when it has to be submitted,” the barrister argued.

“As per the law, those who participate in elections will get seats,” Justice Anwar remarked.

Justice Arshad remarked that Section 104 explains the mechanism for reserved seats as it states that when a list is submitted then another list can be given.

“Section 104 says that if a political party participates in an election, it will give a list,” the lawyer argued.

On Wednesday, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan and the counsels for the PPP and ECP had completed their arguments.

He had argued before the court that a political party could get reserved seats only if it won a general one.

ECP lawyer Sikander Basheer Momand had supported his arguments, stating that the SIC was a political party but not a parliamentary one.