By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly secretariat has sparked controversy by excluding the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, from its revised list of party positions, despite a Supreme Court verdict and Election Commission notification.
The move, which reclassifies PTI members as part of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), contradicts the Supreme Court’s July 12 decision that deemed PTI eligible for reserved seats. The verdict specifically recognized PTI as a parliamentary party, allowing it to receive reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the national and provincial assemblies.
The election authorities subsequently notified 39 lawmakers who had declared themselves as PTI-backed candidates at the time of the February 8 elections. However, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s letter to the Election Commission cited the Elections (Second Amendment) Act 2024, signed into law on August 7, which retrospectively came into effect since 2017 and precludes independent candidates from switching parties.
The list, issued on September 18, reflects each party’s standing, excluding disputed reserved seats. It omits the 15 reserved seats given to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), five seats for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and three seats for the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUIF).
According to the revised list, 80 lawmakers are affiliated with SIC, while eight members, including PTI’s current chairman, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, and leader of the opposition in the lower house, Omar Ayub, are classified as independents.
The revised party position shows a total of 213 lawmakers on treasury benches, with the PMLN holding 110 seats, PPP 69, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan 22, Pakistan Muslim League Quaid 5, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party 4, and one lawmaker each from Pakistan Muslim League Zia, Balochistan Awami Party, and National Party.
On the opposition benches, 80 lawmakers are affiliated with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), eight with the JUIF, and eight PTI-backed independent MNAs, along with one lawmaker each from Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Balochistan National Party-Mengal, and Wahdat-e-Muslimeen.
The National Assembly Secretariat noted that an independent lawmaker sitting in the opposition has joined the PMLN. The list does not include the 23 reserved seats, which would bring the total number of National Assembly members to 336 once allocated.
The PTI slammed the categorization of its allied lawmakers as SIC, calling it “nothing but contempt of the Supreme Court”.
“We do not agree with it at all,” PTI Information Secretary Raoof Hasan told Dawn newspaper.
Hasan confirmed the party would challenge the decision in the apex court.
A senior PTI leader, who declined to be named, accused the government of attempting to pit institutions against each other.
“This decision insults the Supreme Court of Pakistan,” the leader said. “I hope judges will unite to uphold the institution’s credibility, now at stake.”
The PTI alleges the ruling elite is seeking alternative routes to secure a two-thirds majority after failing to pass a constitutional amendment through parliament.
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