Supreme Court delays review petitions on reserved seats

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan decided to postpone scheduling review petitions concerning the allocation of reserved seats until after the conclusion of the summer vacation in September.

The decision was reached during the 17th meeting of the Practice and Procedure Committee on Thursday, where committee members extensively debated the matter.

Read more: ECP to implement SC decision on reserved seats

According to the released meeting minutes, there was a divergence of opinion among the judges regarding the timing of the review. Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Muneeb Akhtar advocated for the review to be heard by the 13-judge bench that handled the main case, including the detailed decision that has yet to be disclosed.

The committee ultimately decided, with a two-to-one majority, to defer the review petitions until after the summer break. The Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa however, opposed the decision. He called for the primacy of constitutional rights over judicial holidays.

The CJ, however, conceded that judicial holidays were “non-negotiable” under current rules and regulations.

The controversy revolves around a recent Supreme Court ruling on seats specifically designated for Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), overturning previous decisions by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the Peshawar High Court.

The court upheld PTI’s entitlement to seats reserved for women and minorities within National Assembly (NA), allowing the party to participate in elections despite issues regarding election symbols.

In compliance with the court’s directive, PTI was instructed to submit its list of candidates for these reserved seats within 15 days. Currently, 39 out of 80 members of NA have declared allegiance to PTI, while the remaining 41 members must submit affidavits confirming their party affiliation within the same timeframe.

Read more: PML-N challenges Supreme Court decision on reserved seats

In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and other assembly members have filed review petitions challenging the court’s ruling on the allocation of specific seats.