ECP reserves verdict on SIC reserved seats

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday reserved its verdict on the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) plea seeking reserved seats in the assemblies, ARY News reported. 

A five-member bench of the ECP headed by CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja took up the plea.

Barrister Ali Zafar in his arguments before the electoral body said PTI-backed independent candidates joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) after winning the elections. It is our right to have reserved seats in the assembly, he added.

Zafar said PTI submitted a list of the reserved seats but after losing the party symbol, the candidates contested elections as independent candidates.

After joining SIC, we forwarded the request for the reserved seats, he added. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Azam Nazir Tarar opposed the allocation of the seats to SIC by saying that the party did not take part in the elections.

Read more: PML-N, PPP oppose allocation of reserved seats to SIC

SIC said it is not contesting the February 8 elections in response to the ECP’s letter regarding the code of conduct before the polls, Tarar said.

According to Section 104 of the Election Act, reserved seats would be granted to a party contesting the general elections.

How can reserved seats be allocated to SIC, when it was rejected by the masses, he asked.

JUI-F’s Kamran Murtaza also opposed the allocation of reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council before ECP. He said SIC did not submit any list for the reserved seats now the list cannot be entertained.