A division bench of the Peshawar High Court, led by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Shakeel Ahmed, recently heard a case regarding the allotment of reserved seats in the National Assembly. The court has temporarily halted the members notified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on reserved seats, pending further legal proceedings.
During the hearing, the counsel for the petitioner highlighted the constitutional provisions governing reserved seats in the National Assembly, citing Section 3 of Article 51 and the Provincial Assembly procedure under Article 106. In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly, there are 115 general seats, 26 seats for women, and four seats for minorities. The petitioner raised concerns about the distribution of remaining seats to other parties, emphasizing that such actions may not align with constitutional regulations.
Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim questioned whether the petition was specific to the KP Assembly or intended for the entire country. The lawyer representing the petitioner argued that decisions made by the ECP are subject to appeal but stressed that allotting remaining seats to other parties contradicts constitutional provisions. Justice Shakeel Ahmed probed further on whether vacant seats would remain if not allocated as requested.
