ISLAMABAD
\nA majority bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday warned the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that non-implementation of its judgment on reserved seats would result in serious consequences.
\nThe clarification comes after the electoral watchdog and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed petitions regarding the court\u2019s July 12 decision on the matter.
\nThe eight-member bench, led by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and comprising Justices Athar Minallah, Ayesha Malik, Ali Mazhar, Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Shahid Waheed, and Irfan Saadat Khan, reiterated that there was no ambiguity in the original ruling.
\nAccording to the judges, the short order issued on July 12 was clear, and the Election Commission had unnecessarily complicated its interpretation.
\n\u201cThe judgment leaves no room for confusion, and any attempt to obscure the matter is rejected outright,\u201d read the court\u2019s explanatory statement. The statement further emphasized that failure to comply with the court\u2019s ruling would carry \u201cserious consequences.\u201d
\nRecognition of PTI leadership
\nIn the clarification, the court also acknowledged Barrister Gauhar Ali Khan as the legitimate Chairman of PTI, while Umar Ayub was recognized as the party\u2019s General Secretary. This recognition has important implications for the ongoing political landscape, as it affirms PTI\u2019s current leadership amid internal disputes.
\nThe bench clarified that any seat won in the election would immediately be considered as belonging to the political party to which the candidate was affiliated at the time of the election, and no further action could alter this agreement.
\nThe court emphasized that the Election Commission\u2019s issuance of a list of elected members is an administrative process meant to inform the public and all stakeholders. Failure to fulfil legal obligations, it warned, could lead to severe consequences for the ECP.
\nDirective for immediate implementation
\nIn a strongly worded statement, the court directed the Election Commissioner to immediately implement the decision. The bench rejected attempts by the ECP to delay or seek further clarification, stating that the deprivation of an election symbol does not strip a political party of its rights. PTI, it reaffirmed, remains a registered political entity and holds seats in both the national and provincial assemblies.
\nThe court\u2019s explanation underscored that the Election Commission\u2019s recognition of Barrister Gauhar as PTI\u2019s Chairman is final, and any attempt to alter this recognition would be considered obstruction of justice.
\n\u201cThe Election Commission must act without delay. Asking for further explanation is tantamount to obstructing the court\u2019s decision,\u201d the judges stated, making clear that PTI\u2019s status as a political party remains intact.
\nThe majority decision was delivered by a bench consisting of Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice M Ali Mazhar, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD A majority bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday warned the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that non-implementation of its judgment on reserved seats would result in serious consequences. The clarification comes after the electoral watchdog and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed petitions regarding the court\u2019s July 12 decision on the matter. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":226293,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-431283","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n