The Peshawar High Court has nullified the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) notification regarding the allocation of reserved seats for women and minorities in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly.
The court issued a two-page written judgment on a petition presented by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) against the allotment of reserved seats. In its decision, the court ordered the ECP to redistribute the reserved seats for minorities and women upon hearing all candidates and political parties. The commission has been tasked to do this within 10 days.
The verdict also clearly stated that no oath should be taken by members on the reserved seats until the ECP issues a fresh decision.
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This judgment comes just days after the ECP reinstated 74 out of 77 suspended lawmakers across various assemblies — including 25 from the KP Assembly. Based on that earlier decision, notifications were issued for 21 women and 4 minority candidates, increasing the opposition’s strength to 52 seats in the provincial assembly.
The largest opposition group, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), regained 8 women and 2 minority seats. PML-N followed with 6 women and 1 minority seat, raising its total to 16 members. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secured 5 women and 1 minority seat, while ANP and PTI Parliamentarians each had one women’s reserved seat reinstated.
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The row started when the ECP issued a notification in March 2024 assigning the reserved seats. The Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) along with PTI-supported independents had asserted rights to the seats, contending that their candidates would be included under the PTI quota based on political coordination.
However, the ECP rejected that claim, stating SIC had not formally merged with PTI. The commission instead distributed those seats among other political parties.
The Peshawar High Court has nullified that ECP notification, shifting the balance once again and potentially affecting the composition of the KP Assembly.
