Fresh hearings ordered for reallocation: PHC nullifies ECP’s reserved seats allocations

PESHAWAR: In a significant development, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) Tuesday nullified both announcements made by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the allocation of reserved seats for women and minorities, directing the commission to reallocate these seats after fresh hearings involving all concerned parties.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Dr. Khurshid Iqbal reserved its judgment earlier today and later issued a two-page verdict in response to a petition filed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) challenging the ECP’s previous seat allocations.

The court ordered the ECP to conduct hearings within ten days, ensuring that all stakeholders — including the PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, ANP, and PTI, are heard before a new allocation is announced. The verdict also directed that no oath should be administered on the disputed reserved seats until the ECP’s final decision.

The PML-N’s legal counsel, Aamir Javed, argued that the party was unduly excluded during the initial allocation process despite holding six members at the time, including five general seats won in the February 8 elections. He maintained that the ECP failed to acknowledge this in their calculations.

The case was heard earlier today in the PHC, with key legal representatives in attendance, including Special Secretary Law of the ECP Muhammad Arshad, ECP’s lawyer Mohsin Kamran, JUI-F’s counsel Naveed Akhtar, and Barrister Saqib Raza among others.

The ruling is being viewed as a temporary setback to the ECP’s initial seat distribution, and a critical development for political parties seeking fair representation through reserved seats in the assemblies.

It may also force the ECP to further delay the Senate elections in KP Assembly.