The custodians of the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly have once again urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to allocate reserved seats in both houses as per the amended law.
In a second letter to the ECP, NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq stated that parliamentary leaders in the assembly have requested the allocation of reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in accordance with the amended Elections Act, 2017. This comes after the government passed controversial amendments on Aug 6, aiming to override the Supreme Court’s verdict on reserved seats and affect the expected strength of PTI in both houses.
The amendments also specified that political parties failing to submit their list for reserved seats within the prescribed time by the ECP would not be allocated such seats. Additionally, candidates would be considered independent lawmakers if they failed to declare their party affiliation before the allotment of election symbols, and independent candidates were barred from joining a political party after the specified period by the ECP.
Speaker Sadiq expressed concern over the ECP’s delay in making a decision on the issue of reserved seats, stating that it violates the law and questions the legislative authority of parliament. He emphasized that parliamentary leaders have urgently requested action from the ECP as per the law, highlighting that the matter of reserved seats is a simple question of law to be resolved in accordance with the existing provisions of the Constitution and the amended Elections Act, 2017 as passed by the Parliament.
Similarly, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Mohammad Ahmad Khan also wrote a second letter to the ECP, urging the implementation of the amended Elections Act and the allocation of reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the provincial assembly. Speaker Khan emphasized that parliament’s supremacy is the foundation of any democracy and urged the ECP to immediately implement the amended Elections Act to preserve the sanctity of the democratic system.