Imran Khan’s PTI scores major win in Pakistan battle for reserved seats
Al Jazeera
Former PM’s party to get key parliament seats, denying the ruling coalition a two-thirds majority.
Islamabad, Pakistan – The Supreme Court has handed a major legal victory to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, declaring it eligible for a share of reserved seats in national and provincial assemblies.
The judgement, announced on Friday by a 13-member bench in an 8-5 ruling, dealt a significant setback to the coalition government.
The case was filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), a political party that PTI-backed candidates had joined after the February 8 general election, which they were compelled to contest as independents.
The PTI, led by Khan, who has been in jail since August due to criminal cases filed against him, was denied the right by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to contest the elections under its electoral symbol, a cricket bat, due to electoral law violations.
Consequently, PTI candidates had to run as independents, yet they surprised observers by winning 93 seats in the National Assembly – more than any other party. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) came second with 75 seats, and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was third with 54 seats.
