Peshawar High Court Orders Reallocation of Reserved Seats, Declares Election Commission’s Notifications Invalid

Peshawar: The Peshawar High Court has ruled against the Election Commission’s allocation of reserved seats for minorities and women, ordering the commission to reissue the list of reserved seats. The court declared the Election Commission’s notifications dated March 4 and March 26, 2024, null and void.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Khurshid Iqbal directed the Election Commission to consult all candidates and political parties within 10 days and prepare a revised list of reserved seats. The distribution must reflect the proportion of general seats won by each political party. Furthermore, the court ordered that no oath-taking on reserved seats should take place until the new list is finalized.

The petitioner, represented by their lawyer, argued that the Election Commission’s distribution was unfair. The petitioner claimed that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) should have been allocated 9 reserved seats for women but was given only 8, while Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) received 10 seats. The lawyer also stated that PML-N and JUI should have received 9 seats each. Additionally, the lawyer pointed out that Malik Tariq Awan, who recently joined PML-N along with Hisham Inamullah, was not included in the reserved seat allocation for PML-N.

The court emphasized transparency and fairness in the electoral process and instructed the Election Commission to adhere strictly to the new directives to ensure justice in the allocation of reserved seats.