ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa emphasized that the issues faced by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) could have been resolved if the party had conducted intra-party elections.
His remarks came during a full court hearing of a petition by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), an ally of PTI, concerning the denial of reserved seats for women and minorities.
The 13-member bench, headed by CJP Isa, included Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Munib Akhtar, Yahya Afridi, Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Ayesha Malik, Athar Minallah, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Shahid Waheed, Irfan Saadat Khan, and Naeem Akhtar Afghan.
The bench is addressing the SIC’s petition against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision, which did not allocate reserved seats due to the SIC’s failure to submit its candidate list.
PTI and SIC had formed an alliance for the February 8 elections after the ECP stripped PTI of its electoral symbol, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court.
Despite this alliance, the SIC was not allocated reserved seats, leading to a legal battle that culminated in today’s hearing.
During the proceedings, Advocate Faisal Siddiqui, representing SIC, argued that the SIC had submitted its candidate list, but the ECP rejected it on the grounds that SIC did not contest the elections as a party.
CJP Isa pointed out inconsistencies in SIC’s classification as a parliamentary political party and a political party.
Justice Akhtar also noted that candidates who showed affiliation with PTI should be considered as such, questioning the ECP’s classification of them as independents.
CJP Isa criticized PTI for not holding intra-party polls, suggesting that such elections would have prevented the current issues.
He stressed the importance of adhering to democratic principles and remarked that the controversy might have been avoided if PTI had actively sought the bat symbol for its candidates.
The court has adjourned the hearing until June 24, leaving the issue unresolved for now.
