ISLAMABAD: Eight out of thirteen Judges of the Supreme Court Full Bench headed by CJP Qazi Faez Isa here on Friday (12th July, 2024) have ruled in favor of PTI, saying that ECP’s decision of allocating reserved seats to the ruling coalition was unconstitutional and ordered that the (minority and women) Reserved Seats should be given to IK’s party.
The majority verdict was given by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Irfan Saadat, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar.
Following the SCP ruling PTI is back as a party in the assemblies: “PTI was and is a political party, which secured general seats in the national and provincial assemblies in the general elections of 2024”.
By means of the verdict penned by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah the PHC Full Bench verdict of March, 2024 (upholding the ECP decision of denying the reserved seats to PTI-backed SIC) and ECP’s 13th May notifications were annulled, terming them against the Constitution of Pakistan.
It may be recalled that on 13th May, 2024, ECP had suspended, till further orders, the notifications of 75 (NA and PA) lawmakers who returned on reserved seats.
Reacting to the SCP verdict the Minister of Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar maintained that the SCP’s verdict posed no threat to the incumbent government. Talking to journalists at a Presser held here he stated that the ruling coalition had clear majority in NA and PA.
Law Minister pointed out that it was SIC that went to the court apropos reserved seats, whereas, PTI was not a party nor it had sought any relief. Responding to a query about government’s plans to ask for a review, he said political entities affected by the verdict should decide about it.

JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman stated that his party partially accepted the verdict and would not lodge an appeal against the SCP full-bench decision on reserved seats.
Chairman PTI Gohar Ali Khan, while lauding the verdict, noted that by means of the SCP ruling the power of incumbent government to amend the Constitution had been blocked.
Following the SCP ruling of Friday PTI will emerge as the largest party in the Parliament with 109 seats. PML-N, that happens to harbor 108 members, is expected to remain perched at the pinnacle with a simple majority of 209.
Newspakistan.tv