Under the leadership of Chief Justice Faiz Isa, the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s full bench has reserved its verdict regarding the case of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) on reserved seats. This comes after the SIC appealed to dismiss their case and uphold the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) previous verdict.
During the hearing, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) submitted a written response to the court, asserting that the SIC is no longer eligible for the reserved seats, citing several grounds for their claim. The court announced that the reserved verdict on the SIC case will be revealed after further consultation.
At the start of the hearing, Faisal Siddiqui, the senior counsel representing the SIC, accused the ECP of failing to transparently fulfill its duties and raised significant, potentially game-changing allegations against them. He argued that the ECP’s decision regarding the reserved seats for the Balochistan Awami Party was not adequately substantiated and lacked transparency.
The court’s inquiry into the ECP’s adherence to constitutional texts in their decision-making process was a key focus of the hearing. The court also questioned the transparency of the allocation of reserved seats, as well as the equal treatment of political entities in terms of seat allocation and the implications for individuals associated with political parties.
The court’s decision to reserve the verdict and adjourn the hearing was a significant development in the case. The case revolves around the SIC’s appeal regarding the reserved seats, with the ECP citing constitutional violations and the party’s ineligibility for reserved seats. The SIC approached the apex court following the PHC’s decision, seeking redress and reevaluation of their eligibility for reserved seats in the parliament and provincial assemblies.
