Pakistan’s Top Court Blocks PTI’s Claim to Reserved Seats

Pakistan’s Top Court Blocks PTI’s Claim to Reserved Seats
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Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Friday ruled that former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is not entitled to reserved seats in parliament, overturning an earlier decision that had favored the party. The Constitutional Bench dismissed all review petitions filed by PTI and its allies, restoring the Peshawar High Court’s ruling that rejected the allocation of reserved seats for the party.

The dispute arose from the February 8 general election, where PTI lost its election symbol due to invalid intra-party elections. As a result, its candidates contested as independents and did not submit lists for reserved seats, which are allocated proportionally to registered parties. Despite securing the most general seats, PTI was ruled ineligible by the Election Commission of Pakistan. Last year, the Supreme Court had briefly overturned that decision but Friday’s ruling reinstates the original verdict.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the decision, saying it upheld constitutional principles and called on the opposition to play a positive role in the country’s development. The seats will now be distributed among other parties, including Sharif’s PML-N and its allies. The verdict further weakens PTI, which has struggled with legal setbacks since Khan’s ouster through a no-confidence vote in April 2022.