ECP 'meets' tomorrow to discuss SC's explanation on reserved seats

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reportedly convened a meeting of the body to discuss the situation after SC’s explanation on the SIC reserved seats.

Sources told ARY News, the meeting of the ECP will likely be held on Monday 9tomorrow0k at 11am.

The high-level meeting will be chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja.

On Saturday, the Supreme Court (SC) dismissed the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) plea seeking its guidance on the verdict in the reserved seats case of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ruling it as “dilatory tactics.”

Eight judges who gave a majority verdict including Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan issued the clarification.

Read more: ECP reacts to SC’s dismissal of its plea in reserved seats case

“Putting together the record placed before us [top court], and considering the same in light of the short order, leaves in little doubt that the clarification sought by the commission is nothing more than a contrived device and adoption of dilatory tactics,” the eight judges ruled in the order.

SC verdict

A 13-member bench of the top court, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, ruled that the PTI is eligible for the allocation of reserved seats, dealing a major setback to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah announced the 8-5 majority verdict, setting aside the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) order wherein it had upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision denying the reserved seats to the SIC.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Jamal Mandokhail, Justice Naeem Afghan, Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice Ameenuddin Khan opposed the majority decision.