ISLAMABAD: The ruling coalition, spearheaded by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), got its way to a two-thirds majority in National Assembly on Friday, after the Supreme Court ruling in the reserved seats’ case that handed the government a critical advantage.
In a narrow 7-5 decision, the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench overturned its own previous verdict. The ruling restored a Peshawar High Court (PHC) decision that denied reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) – a party backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The verdict delivered a windfall to the PML-N, which scooped up 15 extra seats. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), an ally of the government, walked away with four, while Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) that is not in government snagged three more.
No the government has blown past the 224 seats in the national assembly needed for a constitutional supermajority. That gives Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition not just control but dominance, allowing it to pass sweeping legislation or even amend the constitution with little resistance.
Before the top court’s ruling, the coalition’s tally was slimmer: PML-N held 110 seats, PPP 70, MQM-P 22, and PML-Q 5. Post-ruling, the PML-N now commands 125 seats, PPP rises to 74, and JUI-F clocks in at 11.
Meanwhile, the opposition led by the PTI-backed SIC has been effectively boxed in. Its strength has been reduced to 100 seats, including 80 from SIC, 8 independents aligned with PTI, and 8 from JUI-F’s split representation.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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