PTI challenges Election Act Amendment in Supreme Court

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has challenged the Election Amendment Act 2024 in Supreme Court, ARY News reported.

As per details, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar filed a constitutional petition under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, requesting the court to declare the amendment act null and void, citing it as unconstitutional and illegal.

PTI has made the federal government and the Election Commission parties in the case. The party has also requested the court to immediately restrain the Election Commission from allocating reserved seats to other political parties.

Furthermore, PTI has asked the court to order the allocation of reserved seats for women and minorities to the party, as it has already submitted the required lists to the Election Commission.

The party argued that, following the July 12 verdict, the reserved seats are its legal right. The Supreme Court has been requested to take up the case and provide relief to PTI.

Yesterday, the National Assembly (NA) approved Election Act Amendment Bill 2024. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Bilal Azhar Kiyani presented the bill in the lower house of the Parliament, proposing amendments to the Elections Act 2017 in order to bar lawmakers from changing their party affiliation at a later stage.

The opposition stated protest against passage of the Election Act Amendment Bill 2024 and torn copies of the agenda of the house.

According to the bill, lawmakers cannot change the party after joining one within three days of winning the election. Furthermore, reserved seats cannot be allotted to a party, that did not win a single seat in the election.

Read more: ‘Legislation being made to prevent PTI from getting reserved seats’

The legislation follows after SC allotted reserved seats to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

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.